By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, June 1, 2015
Down a set and 4-5, Serena Williams won nine of the next 12 games subduing Sloane Stephens to reach the French Open quarterfinals.
Photo credit: Photo credit: Philippe Montigny/FFT
The patch of sweat on the back of Serena Williams's long-sleeved lavender top swelled to a wide swath, a sign of effort expended chasing Sloane Stephens's drives around the red clay.
Stephens spent a set and a half giving the two-time champion a tour of the largest Grand Slam court in the sport and quite a workout in the process.
Down a set and 4-5, the world No. 1 was two points away from sliding out of the tournament. But the part-time Paris resident was in no mood for an early departure.
More: Safarova Ends Sharapova's Roland Garros Reign
Running with purpose and hitting with ferocity, Serena surged into full comeback mode to stage her third straight red-clay revival. Williams won nine of the final 12 games subduing Stephens, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, to roar into the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the ninth time.
Williams will play 2012 finalist Sara Errani for a final four spot. The 17th-seeded Italian defeated Julia Goerges, 6-2, 6-2. Williams is 7-0 lifetime vs. Errani, winning all eight clay-court sets they've played including a crushing 6-0, 6-1 demolition in the 2013 French Open semifinals.
It was her third straight consecutive comeback from a one-set deficit. If the two-time champion goes on to capture her 20th major title in Paris and move halfway to the single-season Grand Slam she may well look back on this match — as much as her three-set conquest of former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka — as the toughest obstacles cleared.
A sharp Stephens put a sluggish Williams on her back foot at the outset. Williams's energy level was lagging, her shots were unruly and footwork so stagnant she looked like a woman trudging around mud puddles to avoid staining her shoes.
Speed is a Stephens asset that can unsettle opponents. It's hard to hit the ball by her and when you play the sharp angle it exposes the court for the quick-footed Stephens to counter with an even edgier angle. She was running down balls quickly, setting up on balance and giving herself plenty of options at the outset.
Cranking a crosscourt forehand winner, Stephens earned break point in the fifth game. A jittery Williams narrowly missed the center stripe, double-faulting to drop serve for the second time in three games.
A flat-footeded Serena was often reaching for balls and arming replies rather than taking the small preparation steps to set up for her shot and get her entire body behind the ball. The top seed barely moved for a backhand within reach as Stephens held at 30 extending her lead to 5-1.
The world No. 1 couldn't find the court, sailing her usually reliable two-handed backhand twice, ending a sloppy game as Stephens scored her third break to wrap up a lopsided opening set in just 23 minutes.
Nick Saviano, who reunited with Stephens after parting with Genie Bouchard last year, leaned back in his seat with hands behind his head with the calm expression of a coach seeing his charge execute so cleanly.
Practicing shadow swings between points and moving her feet faster while the ball was in play, the 2013 champion got it going in the sixth game. Williams was serving down 15-30 when the pair went toe-to-toe and corner to corner in an electrifying 28-shot rally. When Serena won it she unleashed a massive "Come on!" showing some positive energy and an appetite for the fight.
Stephens saved four break points in the next game before Williams, defending fiercely five feet behind the baseline, drew a backhand into net for a fifth break point. Blasting a backhand crosscourt she broke for the first time all day for a 4-3 advantage.
Finally, Williams looked engaged, but Stephens got even. Stephens, who had burned Venus Williams with her backhand down the line in round one, torched another two-hander down the line breaking Serena for 4-4.
Netting her 21st backhand error, Williams was two points from elimination in the ninth game. She responded with standard Serena defiance.
Plastering an ace off the line, Williams held for 5-5. Hammering heavier shots with more menacing intent, the top seed immediately broke at 15 for 6-5 before serving out the second set.
Given Serena's backhand was leaking errors in opening set, Sloane wisely played the majority of her backhands crosscourt. She stung a brilliant backhand strike down the line to work through a demanding hold for 2-1 in the decider.
In the fifth game, Williams applied pressure again. Stephens, who served almost exclusively down the middle on the ad side, caught Williams leaning the wrong way with an ace to erase a break point. Drilling the ball, Williams won an extended rally for a second break point. When a leaping Stephens put a flat forehand into net, Williams had the crucial break and a 3-2 lead.
Still, she had to grind through a demanding eighth game. Williams banged three big first serves in succession, including an ace out wide to save a break point. Denying the challenge by attacking net, Serena blocked a forehand volley into the corner. Sloane flung her racquet at the ball in vain and kicked the baseline in disgust knowing her moment had passed.
On a day in which opportunity slipped from Stephens's grip, Williams's resolve, stinging serve and problem-solving skills helped her produce another rousing comeback putting a tough adversary behind and a 20th Grand Slam title firmly in her sights.