Sloane Stephens: Early Look at US Open Chances
By Harry Floyd
Sloane Stephens is the defending champion in women’s singles at the US Open. Here’s an early look at her 2018 chances.
Sloane Stephens is an outside contender for the title at the 2018 US Open. The final Grand Slam of the calendar year is rapidly approaching and the young American is the defending champion in women’s singles. She is, however, not considered the favorite heading into the major tournament. Splashing out of the Wimbledon Championships early, Stephens is in need of a rebounding effort right now. She exits Wimbledon during her singles opener.
Dropping a first round straight set match, the fourth seeded Stephens failed to live up to expectation at Wimbledon. She had recently finished runner-up to French Open champion Simona Halep at Roland Garros. Stephens is seeing ups and downs on the WTA Tour.
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You can’t necessarily blame Stephens though. The WTA Tour is full of young rising stars and veteran greats this year. Angelique Kerber is the perfect example of a veteran with renewed energy taking over at will. She rallies during play at Wimbledon, putting on a historic run for her third career Grand Slam title and first ever in London.
Meeting Kerber in the finals was American legend Serena Williams. While several young stars made headlines throughout the action, two veterans reached the finals. The US Open will be yet another battle of youthful talent and veteran experience.
Sloane Stephens defeats Madison Keys in straight sets to win the 2017 US Open. The Grand Slam win has put her into the spotlight on the WTA Tour.
Expectations have been high for Sloane Stephens for several years now. She represents the next generation of great American women’s singles players along with Madison Keys. The two are at the forefront of the sport and another Grand Slam could be right around the corner. It just might not be at this year’s US Open though. Currently, Stephens is projected at around the ninth or tenth favorite by odds makers. The defending champion will likely fare much better than she did at Wimbledon this year, but she will need to discover some magic if she hopes to repeat championship runs in back to back years.