Many Americans probably won’t see the match between Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens. It will likely occur late at night — or early in the morning — here in the States.
Heck, many Americans probably don’t know about Stephens (I’ll admit it; I wasn’t aware of the 19-year-old until this tournament).
If they follow tennis, they will soon.
Stephens will not beat Williams in this Australian Open matchup, her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam tournament. It won’t happen. Not against arguably the greatest women’s player of ALL TIME. Not against a 31-year-old Williams who has only dropped a single match since last May’s French Open. Not against a player so dominant that she won singles and doubles titles at Wimbledon, Olympic Gold in singles and doubles, and the U.S. Open — all in two months.
No, Serena Williams is too dominant, too powerful, too everything.
But make no mistake about it — when it comes to U.S. women’s tennis, Sloane Stephens has got next.
And that next isn’t far off.
This blog is about the precocious youngster with the huge forehand and bubbly personality (descriptions, coincidentally, that you could apply to a certain American player also mentioned in this post).
Let me first provide a paragraph on where the Plantation, Fla., native stands today:
Stephens, at No. 25, is the lone teenager in the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 50. After her three-set Round of 16 victory over Bojana Jovanovski, she’s guaranteed a spot in the top 20. And she’s also the second-highest ranked American behind you know who.
Only one American not named a Williams has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the past handful of years. That was Melanie Oudin at the 2009 U.S. Open. How’s Oudin faring now? She’s ranked 84th and hasn’t advanced past the second round of a major since.
So why am I so high on Stephens? What’s to say she won’t become another Oudin?
Because of the similarities to Williams, that’s why. Yes, it’s a convenient comparison. The young, black, strong American player with an energetic, full-of-life personality.
But if you watch Stephens on the court, you can see it, too, even if her development is far from complete. I saw it in the final, tense moments of her 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Jovanovski.
The 21-year-old Serb took over the match in the second set, grunting and outmuscling Stephens, who became passive and stuck on the baseline. After Stephens dumped a forehand into the net to get broken and fall behind 0-2 in the final set, it would have been easy to dismiss the, yes, 19-year-old. The pressure, it could be said, was getting to her.
But down 1-3, Stephens found a switch that you wouldn’t expect such a young player to possess, suddenly unleashing a barrage of laser forehands to win eight straight points and knot the set at 3-3. With the set tied at 5-5 and Jovanovski serving at 0-15, Stephens again pounded an impeccable, impossible-to-return forehand down the line that, seemingly, rattled the resilient Serb.
She broke a minute later, 6-5.
In the final game, Stephens appeared on her heels as she served down 15-30. Jovanovski was pounding forehands left and right. But in an example of her versatility — of her burgeoning ability to win points in different fashions — Stephens showed Novak Djokovic-like defense and outlasted Jovanovski to tie the game.
A minute later, Stephens was breathing a sigh of relief as she gave her post-match interview — her date with Williams secured.
"I'm sure my mother's had like four heart attacks," Stephens joked of the match. "I hope my Grandpa didn't have to put my Grandma to bed, because she gets a little worried."
All kidding aside, Stephens has a chance to be great because not only does she have the physical ability, but she has the right personality, too, to succeed on tour — to slug out the tough matches. She’s already mature beyond her years.
Stephens conceded that Jovanovski’s play had her out of rhythm, but she added that “sometimes you just kind of got to stick it out, and hopefully she comes down off her throne."
That’s veteran talk, not 19-year-old talk.
Stephens doesn’t lose her cool on the court, but she also knows when she needs an emotional boost. After breaking Jovanovski to get to 1-2, Stephens allowed herself a few mini fistpumps and “Come on!”s. She is far from stoic on the court.
OK, reality check time. Did I mention that Stephens will not beat Williams tomorrow? She met the 15-time Grand Slam winner in a Brisbane exhibition earlier this month and put up a fight, falling 6-4, 6-3. As all-time great and current ESPN analyst Chris Evert said, “Once they get into a rally … I think she can stay with her.”
Of course, that statement came after Evert talked about Williams’ dominant serve, which is the biggest advantage — besides experience — she has on Stephens. In her dominant 6-2, 6-0 dispatching of Maria Kirilenko, Williams had a first-serve percentage of 95 percent in the first set. That’s unbeatable. That’s a reason Williams has won 20 consecutive matches.
So there’s a reason I’m writing this before the match. The action on the court could look ugly for Stephens. Her nerves could play a factor. Mostly, her opponent will.
Rather, this writing should serve — pun intended — as a sign of what American tennis fans can hope for, and anticipate, going forward as Williams’ historic career winds down.
The women’s game, as we’ve witnessed over the last handful of years, is wide open when Williams isn’t playing. It’s a crapshoot. Maria Sharapova, 25, has overcome injury and reemerged as one of the sport’s premier players — having won the career grand slam and playing her best tennis. Victoria Azarenka, 23, won this tournament a year ago and took Williams to the brink of defeat at the U.S. Open in September. But neither player is as dominant as Williams. Neither player will dominate the tour like Williams has or be an indomitable roadblock in front of Stephens like Roger Federer was for Andy Roddick during the American’s best years.
The next great American hope is in the process of arriving, sports fans.
And she’s a joy to watch.
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