In the clash between the winners of the past two editions of the US Open Sloane Stephens started her WTA Finals campaign with a 7-5 4-6 6-1 win over Naomi Osaka after 2 hours and 22 minutes in the opening match of the round-robin Red Group. Both players are making their debut at the WTA Finals.
Last year’s US Open champion Stephens beat reigning Flushing Meadows winner Osaka 6-3 7-5 in their only previous head-to-head match in Acapulco in 2016.
Stephens, who won the Miami title and reached the French Open final in 2018, converted 7 of her 19 break points and dropped her serve four times from the twelve break points she faced. Osaka, who won at Indian Wells and at the US Open in her breakthrough year, hit seven aces but made 46 unforced errors.
Stephens earned the first break at 30 in the opening game taking advantage of a few loose errors from Osaka, but the young Japanese player broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. Osaka was the first to hold serve at love in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Stephens tied 3-3 after three consecutive holds of serve.
In the seventh game Stephens earned a double break point at 15-40 and converted it two points later with the help of a netcord to get the break for 4-3. Stephens made two double faults in a row on game point at 40-30 and at deuce to face a break-back point in the eighth game. Osaka broke back with a forehand winner to draw level to 4-4 after the longest exchange of the match. Osaka fended off a break point to hold a tough service game at deuce for 5-4. In the 11th game Osaka rallied from 0-30 down with her sixth winner but Stephens earned her third break of the first set after two backhand errors from the 2018 US Open champion. Stephens earned three set points to close out the opening set at 6-5 and convertted her third opportunity, when Osaka fired an error into the net.
Osaka hit a great backhand pass to earn a game point in the opening game of the second set and held her serve with a volley into the open court after a long rally. Stephens held serve at 30 to draw level to 1-1. After a comfortable hold from Osaka in the third game Stephens came back from 0-40 down and saved four break points to hold serve for 2-2.
Stephens hit a forehand return winner to bring up two break points at 15-40, but she saved the second break point with a backhand drive volley to hold her serve for 3-2.
Osaka fired a backhand winner to force the sixth game to deuce before breaking serve, when Stephens made her fourth double fault of the match.
Osaka saved a break-back point to hold her serve for 5-2 after four deuces. After missing out on her break point Stephens held her serve at 15 to trail 3-5. In the ninth game Stephens earned a break point, when Osaka made a double fault. The 2017 Open champion broke serve to close the gap to 4-5, when Osaka hit a forehand volley wide.
In the 10th game Osaka took a 15-40 lead, as she was serving for the second set. Stephens saved the first set point, but Osaka broke serve to close out the second set 6-2, when Stephens made her sixth double fault of the match.
Stephens brought up three break points on Osaka’s serve in the first games of the decisive set and converted it with her retur winner.
Osaka went up 0-40 in the opening game of the the third set to earn three break points. Stephens fended three break points to hold serve for 2-0 at deuce. In the third game Osaka saved a break point from 30-40 down to hold her serve after three deuces for 1-2. Stephens held her serve at 30 to open up a 3-1 lead.
Osaka trailed 0-40 in the fifth game, but she saved two break points. Stephens got the break with a forehand pass to race out to a 4-1 lead and held her serve at love to come a game away from the win. Stephens sealed a one-sided third set 6-1 with a break on her second opportunity to move to 1-0 in the Red Group, when Osaka made her fourth double fault on the second match point.
“I am just happy to get through and play a good competitive match. I never gave up. I knew she is playing well and I had to play really well to beat her”, said Stephens on court in the post match interview.
