Sloane Stephens, the 24-year-old American who made a splash at the 2013 Australian Open, then saw it turn to ripples until finally the silence of an 11-month absence, completed a mind-boggling five-week rise on Saturday. She became a U.S. Open champion when she played her first Grand Slam final as if it were her 10th: with a steadiness that verged on airtightness. As Stephens combed her way through her 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow American and friend Madison Keys, it became a game within the game just to observe a single statistic: unforced errors. At one point midway through the second set, Stephens had three, Keys 25. It owed to her 11-month absence for foot surgery, during which she spent the Australian Open on the couch in a cast.

Source: Washington Post September 09, 2017 21:26 UTC