Sloane Stephens upsets Francesca Schiavone in round one – US Open 2012
World number 44, Sloane Stephens, recorded an upset against the 26th ranked Italian veteran, Francesca Schiavone, in the opening round of the US Open on Tuesday. She won the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 and trashed
the 22nd seed without a set to her name at the hard courts of New York.
The 19-year-old American started the match with a tight serve hold but did well to convert the second allotted opportunity to break serve; led the scores 2-0 at that stage. However, the initial cameo was short lived as the 32-year-old
Italian bounced back into the contest with a breakthrough in the following game and held her serve with ease to equalize at 2-2.
The see-saw battle continued until the end of the seventh game when the American teenager pulled up another breakpoint to reinstate the lead and that too at a critical stage of the set. Former French Open Champion had to break
serve back instantaneously to keep the set alive. She failed to do so, hence handing over the first set victory to the versatile American.
Schiavone lost the opening serve game of the second set as well but recovered well in the fourth game to level the scores at 2-2. She looked set to make a comeback into the contest but out of nowhere the American teenager got her
act right and won a breakthrough against the run of play. She held her serve to consolidate the lead further.
The Italian star saved a breakpoint and held her serve to keep the set alive but she couldn’t convert an opportunity to win a breakthrough back in the 10th game of the set and lost the encounter.
“I lost last week to Bartoli, the week before to Radwanska. I played well; I did exactly what my coach told me to do. I was like, 'Man, I didn't win.' I was kind of down about that. When they told me I was playing Schiavone, it
was time. It's go big or go home. If you lose, you lose. If you win, you win."
Stephens meets Tatjana Malek in round two.
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