By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 22, 2018
A streaking Sloane Stephens sent another vaporized drive twisting back high over the net.
Forced to play another shot, Naomi Osaka sailed a swing volley, dropped her racquet and shook her head in rueful reaction to remarkable retrieving.
Stephens: A Lot Of Coaching From Stands
In a clash of the reigning US Open champion vs. the former US Open champion, Stephens' court coverage and sharp counterstrikes disarmed Osaka.
Stephens surged through the final four games subduing Osaka 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, in the Red Group opener of the WTA Finals in Singapore.
"I'm really happy to be through," Stephens told Andrew Krasny afterward. "Obviously, Naomi is a great player, playing with a lot of confidence right now. I'm just happy to be through. We played a good, competitive match. It's an honor to be on court with someone that good."
Facing one of the most dangerous servers in the sport, Stephens converted seven of 19 break points and played cleaner combinations in a two hour, 24-minute victory.
The fifth-seeded American's win means the lower seed has won the first three matches of the season-ending event after sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina defeated Petra Kvitova and seventh-seeded Karolina Pliskova topped defending champion Caroline Wozniacki on opening day of round-robin play.
In her WTA Finals debut, the third-seeded Osaka showed flashes of the form she displayed winning Indian Wells and Flushing Meadows, but she looked sluggish and drained by the final set, committed 46 unforced errors —15 more than her opponent—and failed to challenge a couple of crucial calls that incorrectly went against her down the stretch.
"I just compete really well," Stephens said. "I never gave up. I knew I'd have to play some good tennis to beat her. I just took my opportunities when they presented themselves."
Stephens' speed, shrewd anticipation and court positioning proved problematic for the explosive Osaka, who struggled to hit through the American.
The pair traded breaks to open before Osaka settled in and streamed through a love hold in the third game.
Swinging freely, Osaka thumped an ace down the T stamping a second straight love hold for 3-2.
Tactically, Stephens approached playing Osaka as she's played Madison Keys: shift her spins and speeds, change the height of her shots and keep the power player from controlling the center of the court.
The Roland Garros runner-up responded with her first love hold to level after six games.
When Osaka slapped a forehand off the top of the tape that skipped wide, the American had double break point. Playing with more topspin off her two-hander, Stephens drew a netted backhand snaring her second break for a 4-3 lead.
During the ensuing changeover, Osaka's coach, Sascha Bajin came on court and urged his charge to keep taking her cracks at the ball.
"You will find your rhythm whether it is this game or the next game it doesn't matter," Bajin said. From the middle [of the court] you see she's not doing much; just keep trying to find the rhythm. Come on you got this let's go!"
Serving to back up the break, Stephens was one point from the lead but tightened up clanking successive double faults. Hitting behind the speedy American, Osaka curled a forehand into the corner breaking back.
The Osaka serve is lethal because she can hit every corner of the box from the same toss making it tough to read. Staring down a break point in the ninth game, Osaka pumped a kick serve then slid her third ace out wide surviving the stress for 5-4.
Hitting with more spin, particularly off the backhand, Stephens used sidespin to drag Osaka wide and draw a netted two-hander to break in the 11th game.
The reigning US Open champ dropped her Yonex racquet in disgust as the former US Open champ contemplated serving for the set.
Converting her third set point on another Osaka error, Stephens snatched the 51-minute opener with a shout.
The fifth-seeded Stephens converted three of six break points in the set.
Turbulence struck the American in the fourth game as Stephens dug out of a triple break point hole.
Osaka slid a forehand return that seemed to hit a dead spot as Stephens completely whiffed on a forehand reply and chuckled facing a fourth break point.
Stephens staved off the fourth break point, won an electric net exchange then held for 2-all when a frustrated Osaka flagged a backhand into net.
By then, Osaka was muttering to herself at opportunity lost.
Her mood did not immediately improve when Stephens blocked an angled forehand for two break points. Serving with bold bite, Osaka battled back from 15-40 down to hold in the fifth game.
Empowered by that stand, Osaka broke back for 4-2 when Stephens spun her first double fault of the set deep.
In one of the most pulsating games of the match, Osaka withstood a break point taking her third straight game.
Serving for the decider, Osaka failed to challenge a first serve incorrectly called out and eventually double-faulted to face break point.
In a superb defensive stand, Stephens ran down everything Osaka hit, digging balls out of the corner to coax the Japanese into a swing volley error to break back in the ninth game.
Shrugging it off, Osaka belted a backhand for double-set point. Stephens saved the first but then double faulted long again to gift the break and second set.
Osaka more than doubled Stephens' winner total (15 to 7) and saved three of four break points in the 54-minute second set.
Shaking off the disappointment, Stephens ripped a return breaking to start the final set.
Failure to challenge cost Osaka again.
Down triple break point, Stephens saved the first two then hit an apparent double fault.
However, chair umpire Mirjana Čičak over-ruled, called the serve good and asked Osaka if she wanted to challenge.
Osaka declined and Stephens, who should have lost the point and serve, rallied to back up the break as a seemingly confused Osaka later asked if she could challenge the serve, but that request came too late.
Mental fatigue hit Osaka who dropped to her knees after missing a return.
Meanwhile, Stephens was moving like a woman sprinting downhill. A sensational running forehand pass sealed her second break and a 4-1 lead.
On this day, Stephens' unerring consistency and eye-popping court coverage drained the desire out of her opponent, who hit her fourth double fault to end a two hour, 24-minute match.