The US Open has seen many different champions in recent years, particularly in the women’s singles draw.
That was the same for 2024, where both singles champions won their maiden title at the US Open.
Jannik Sinner beat Taylor Fritz to win the men’s singles title at the US Open last year and is coming into the 2025 tournament as one of the big favourites.
That is the same for the women’s singles event, with Aryna Sabalenka the defending US Open champion.
However, one former champion will not be present in New York and is currently ranked outside the top 900.
Sloane Stephens: The 2017 US Open champion who is now ranked outside the top 900
That player is Sloane Stephens, who won the US Open in 2017 after beating Madison Keys in the final.
Stephens has been ranked as high as world number three, and has also reached the final of Roland Garros, as well as a WTA 1000 title at the Miami Open.
However, it has been a while since she has experienced anywhere near that sort of success, with Stephens losing her last 10 matches.
Many of these defeats have come in straight sets, but that was definitely not the case for Stephens at the US Open last year.
Stephens suffered heartbreak at the US Open last year, after she lost to Clara Burel, despite winning the first nine games of the match.
| Tournament | Sloane Stephens’ Result |
| Wimbledon 2024 (2R) | Diana Shnaider beat Stephens, 6-1 6-1 |
| Washington Open 2024 (1R) | Amanda Anisimova beat Stephens, 6-3 7-5 |
| Canadian Open 2024 (1R) | Greet Minnen beat Stephens, 6-2 6-2 |
| US Open 2024 (1R) | Clara Burel beat Stephens, 0-6 7-5 7-5 |
| Guadalajara Open 2024 (1R) | Olivia Gadecki beat Stephens, 6-4 6-3 |
| Korea Open 2024(1R) | Hailey Baptiste beat Stephens, 7-6(4) 6-2 |
| Auckland Open 2025 (1R) | Ann Li beat Stephens, 5-7 6-4 6-4 |
| Hobart International 2025 (1R) | Ann Li beat Stephens, 7-5 6-1 |
| Australian Open 2025 (1R) | Aryna Sabalenka beat Stephens, 6-3 6-2 |
| Merida Open 2025 (1R) | Petra Martic beat Stephens, 6-2 6-3 |
The last time Stephens was seen on court was at the Merida Open in February, where she lost in straight sets to Petra Martic.
Since then, Stephens has been nursing a foot injury and has not been able to return to the match court, which has had a huge impact on her ranking.
Stephens was the world number 115 when she played her last match, but she has now tumbled down to world number 902.
There are now big questions about Stephens’ future, as the 32-year-old will effectively have to start from scratch when she returns.
When will Sloane Stephens return to tennis?
Last year, Stephens was unsure how much longer she would continue playing and this latest injury layoff has only created more questions.
During her time away from the match court, Stephens has ventured into some different media roles.
One of those was for Tennis Channel, and during an interview with Ben Shelton during the clay court season in April, Stephens was asked about when she would be coming back.
While she could not give a definitive answer, Stephens revealed that her boot had been taken off and told Shelton she would see him at Roland Garros.
Me? Honestly, I have no idea,” said Stephens. “I just got my boot off last week but tell your dad I miss him because I love seeing him on TV. I don’t know, I’ll see you soon, I’ll definitely see you at the French.”
Stephens did not lie as she was at Roland Garros, but she was once again fulfilling media duties instead of her usual role as a competitor.
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