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Sloane Stephens experiences meteoric rise in WTA Tour rankings

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: Sloane Stephens of the United States poses with the championship trophy during the trophy presentation after defeating Madison Keys of the United States in the Women's Singles final match on Day Thirteen during the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 09: Sloane Stephens of the United States poses with the championship trophy during the trophy presentation after defeating Madison Keys of the United States in the Women's Singles final match on Day Thirteen during the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2017 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for USTA) /
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Less than two months ago, Sloane Stephens was ranked No. 957 on the WTA Tour. The 2017 US Open champion has now found herself in the Top 20.

Between the rise of Garbiñe Muguruza and the summer of Sloane Stephens, 2017 has been a promising year for the WTA Tour. In Stephens’ case, she’s made a triumphant return from the foot injury that kept her sidelined for nearly a calendar year.

In just over one month, Stephens has experienced a meteoric rise up the WTA Rankings while making an almost unprecedented leap to stardom.

Stephens isn’t the first player to return from an injury and rise back up the rankings, nor is she the first WTA star to win a Grand Slam against all odds. Her return to relevance has been beyond improbable, however, and it culminated with her first major title.

On the heels of her historic US Open title, Stephens has experienced an incredible rise to No. 17 on the WTA Tour—42 days after she was ranked No. 957.

In just over one month, Stephens has gone from being an afterthought in the professional tennis world to one of the faces of the sport.

Stephens’ incredible summer began in Toronto, where she reached the semifinals at the 2017 Rogers Cup. She defeated the likes of Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, and Lucie Safarova during what proved to be the beginning of her resurgence.

Shortly thereafter, she defeated Safarova, Kvitova, Ekaterina Makarova, and Julie Goerges during her run to the semifinals at the Western & Southern Open.

Then up to No. 83 on the WTA Tour, Stephens completed an unforgettable run at the US Open by winning her first career Grand Slam tournament title.

Stephens began the US Open by defeating 2015 finalist Roberta Vinci in straight sets. She then upset Dominika Cibulkova, dominated Ashleigh Barty, defeated Goerges once again, and outlasted Anastasija Sevastova in the quarterfinals.

With a 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 victory over Venus Williams in the semifinals, and a 6-3, 6-0 decimation of Madison Keys in the final, Stephens became a US Open champion.

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Sloane Stephens will now have a chance to continue her climb as she aims to move up from No. 17 to the Top 10 on the WTA Tour.

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