10SBALLS REPORTS FROM 2017 U.S. OPEN • DAY 13 • RECAP: SLOANE STEPHENS WINS TITLE, & NO. 1 AND NO. 2 TO BATTLE IN BOYS’ JUNIOR FINAL

Written by: Staff on 9th September 2017

10SBALLS REPORTS FROM 2017 U.S. OPEN • DAY 13 • RECAP: SLOANE STEPHENS WINS TITLE, & NO. 1 AND NO. 2 TO BATTLE IN BOYS' JUNIOR FINAL

epa06195233 A giant American flag is unfurled across the court during ceremonies before Madison Keys of the US and Sloane Stephens of the US play in the US Open Tennis Championships women's singles final at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 09 September 2017. The US Open runs through September 10. EPA-EFE/BRIAN HIRSCHFELD |

By Ricky Dimon

Sloane Stephens was ranked No. 957 in the world less than two months ago. She is now the U.S. Open champion. Let that sink in. In fact, let me say it again because it sounds so hard to believe. Sloane Stephens was ranked No. 956 in the world less than two months ago. She is now the U.S. Open champion.

Stephens captured her first career Grand Slam title by getting the best of fellow American Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 on Saturday afternoon. A human backboard who makes the roadrunner look slow, Stephens put ball after ball back in play and committed a mere six unforced errors while clinching victory in just one hour and one minute.

“When I had surgery (earlier this season), I was not thinking that I would be anywhere near a US Open title,” the 24-year-old assured. “Nor did I think I was going to be anywhere near the top 100. I was worried about my protected ranking, and I was worried about using my protected ranking to get in here. I used both of them already for Grand Slams and tournaments and to be able to play. I was thinking about all the wrong things.

“Once I kind of let that go and just realized that whatever is meant to be is going to be, I worked hard to get here…. There [are] no words to describe how I got here, the process it took or anything like that, because if you told someone this story, they’d be, like, ‘That’s insane.’ I’m just happy to be here.”

Keys was also in her first-ever major final, but she could not complete the last hurdle.

“I think she played really well,” the 22-year-old said of her opponent and friend. “I don’t think I played great. I think that’s kind of a combination for a disaster for me. I’m obviously not happy with how things went out there, but I still fought as hard as I could and I did everything that I could and came up short today.”

A less surprising final matchup will take place in boys’ singles on Sunday. Both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have advanced. It will be Axel Geller of Argentina against China’s Yibing Wu.Geller, the top seed, dropped one set in the quarterfinals but has otherwise cruised in New York. Wu, who beat Geller in the doubles quarters and will also play in that final on Sunday, outlasted Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori in a third-set tiebreaker on Saturday.

The junior girls’ singles title is coming down to American Amanda Anisimova and countrywoman Cori Gauff. Yes, it was an all-American affair in women’s and now it is the same in juniors.

Elsewhere on the grounds, fellow Brits and doubles partners Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid had to go head-to-head in the men’s singles wheelchair quarterfinals. A three-round epic saw Hewett save multiple match points before triumphing 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(8).

In legends doubles, John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe took care of Pat Cash and Henri Leconte 6-2, 6-4.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.

10sballs Editors Note: ️

Special thanks to Charles from Seattle for flying the Red Eye to be there for us at the McEnroe dubs match. Such a loyal tennis patron.

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