Serena Williams came back from a set down and was on the verge of being eliminated from the Cincinnati Masters against Ana Ivanovic before the World No 1 upped the ante to pull through and enter into the semis of the W&S Open. She opened her tournament journey with a victory over Spain’s Carla Suarez-Navarro and then a win over Mona Barthel in three sets. “I managed to stay mentally strong and put pressure on the next return game and was very happy about that”. With a hold to love, she did just that and won the opening set, 6-2. However, that break of serve stirred up the World No 1 to produce her level best of tennis – winning the next 3 games to tie up the match.
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Ivanovic would run set up an opportunity to win the game for herself but Stephens was able to play her best tennis when it really mattered, and vice versa. With the end in sight, she cranked up the biggest weapon in women’s tennis and closed out the set and the match, 7-5, 6-3, finishing with an emphatic ace out wide.
After recently winning her first title in Washington, Sloane Stephens expected to come to Cincinnati and build on the momentum she earned from the win. “I’m always a little more, you know, angry or focused, especially if it’s a loss I could’ve prevented…” she said. “I’ve been playing well and I’m looking forward to my next one”.
She says she has fun out there, but you wouldn’t know it by her on-court antics.
The American landed only 31 percent of her first serves in the opening set and 47 percent in the second but was much more efficient in the third, chalking up 68 percent.
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Up next for Williams will be 14th-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, a 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 victor over Czech Lucie Safarova, seeded seven.
