Sloane Stephens captured the hearts of her country in 2017 when she soared to US Open glory.
The 31-year-old became just the third American woman to win at Flushing Meadows since the turn of the century behind the iconic Williams sisters. However, Stephens has since struggled to emulate the form that propelled her to seven WTA titles and a grand slam crown.
Coming into this year’s US Open, she had failed to make it past the third round in each of her previous five appearances, but her woes continued on Monday as she fell in her opener for a second successive year.
Tennis fans baffled by manner of Sloane Stephens’ US Open defeat
Stephens has suffered her fair share of disappointing early exits at majors recently, but the way she was defeated by Clara Burel is likely to leave a sour taste in her mouth.
The American took a commanding 6-0 3-0 lead over her French opponent but failed to cross the line in an agonizing loss, eventually coming unstuck 6-0 5-7 5-7 in just over two hours.
With a double-break lead in the second set, Stephens had a stranglehold on the match, and tennis fans later took to social media to voice their disbelief.
While many raised their concerns over Stephens’ performance, others commended Burel for the strength of character shown to turn the match on its head, with one claiming: “I missed the match of the century! Exceptional CLARA.”
The 23-year-old became the 14th WTA player in 2024 to overturn a 6-0 scoreline in the first set to win the match, highlighting the determination and grit on display throughout the women’s game.
What next for Stephens?
For the first set and a half of the encounter, Stephens demonstrated the tennis she is capable of playing.
She has failed to register back-to-back wins since April but, if she is to turn this around, she must take the positives from the bitter defeat to Burel, who herself is a bright prospect on the WTA Tour, having undergone a red-hot rise throughout the year.
Stephens has showcased the variety in her game, having made it deep in each of the four majors, and she will need to remain positive through this turmoil if she is going to bounce back and make a resurgence to form.
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