Former World No. 1, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, ended the hopes of American teen, Sloan Stephens, in a hard fought match on Saturday night in round three of the 2012 US Open Tennis Tournament at Flushing Meadows.
Stephens pulled out a tiebreaker in the first set against Ivanovic, who hadn’t been challenged for a set through the first two rounds, winning her first two matches by scores of 6-3, 6-2, and 6-2, 6-2. But the 12th seeded Serbian, who can be prone to mental meltdowns, proved her toughness, rebounding in the second, overcoming 56 unforced errors to take the final two sets 6-4, 6-2.
It was the 2nd straight year that Ivanovic eliminated Stephens in the 3rd round at the US Open. Seeded 16th in 2011, Ivanovic had an easier time, winning the match 6-3, 6-4.
Stephens was the last hope for the young up-and-coming Americans in the women’s draw from the U.S.A. Only veteran and 3-time US Open Champion, No. 4 seed, Serena Williams remains in the draw. Williams has been playing lights-out, hasn’t lost a set, and only lost 12 games through the first three rounds. America’s hopes for keeping the trophy on home turf are looking good.
Stephens has shown some great natural talent, and is one some are calling a natural successor to friend Serena Williams as the future face of American women’s tennis.
In 2008, Ivanovic reached her third final in a stretch of five Grand Slam tournaments, and won the French Open. Since then, Ivanovic hasn’t reached the quarterfinals even once. She’ll get a chance to get to the last eight in New York after taking the last four games against Stephens, who at No. 44 and just 19 years old is the youngest member of the top 50 in the WTA rankings.
Ivanovic will now face unseeded No. 55 ranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria in round four. They are 1-1 head-to-head with both previous matches being played on clay, Pironkova winning the last in a 3-set match.
