Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens defeats Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 in the final
Sloane Stephens ended her four-year trophy-drought in some style by winning the title in Guadalajara. The American had lost all three of her last WTA finals but there was no stopping her this time around.
The 6th seed Stephens went into the final as the favourite and lived up to expectations. Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova tried all that she could but it wasn’t good enough. Stephens suffered a hiccup in the 2nd set after an intensely fought first one. In the third set, she brushed aside Bouzkova to win her 7th WTA career title.
Speaking after the match, Stephens said, “It’s the beginning of the season so there’s a lot of tennis to be played, but I’m excited to be able to put some matches together.” She further added, “Excited that I was able to do that, get a title and hopefully continue on with the momentum.” The American was delighted that she could finally break her title-drought.
“I think I prepared all last year, I committed to training, my fitness and everything. Obviously I didn’t get results straight away but now seeing the fruits of that labour blossom is nice”, she said.
The American feels she is yet to play her best game. “I still want to get back to where I was, that’s still really important to me. I think it’s possible, it’s doable, so I’m really excited about that”, said Stephens.
Stephens entered the tournament as World No. 57. This win has ensured that she breaks into the top 50 of women’s tennis and is now ranked 37th in WTA rankings. Stephens has always been considered a top prospect in women’s tennis. The 28-year old had a great start to her career playing six WTA finals and winning all of them. Since 2018, she has been going through a rough patch. This title win definitely helps to get things back on track.
Meanwhile, Czech Republic’s Marie Bouzkova had an amazing run in the tournament. The unseeded Czech defeated seeded players to reach the final and was in hot form. The 23-year old was aiming for her maiden WTA title but once again falls just short of the finishing line. Bouzkova has now lost all three of her WTA finals. Going forward, the young Czech will look to turn things around in her favour and overcome the final barrier.
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