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By Chris Oddo/ Thursday, January 16, 2014

 

Is Sloane Stephens the real deal? It certainly looked that way on Day 4 as the American executed an improbable comeback against Ajla Tomljanovic.

Photo Source: Corleve

It was fast, it was furious, and if you weren't looking you missed it.

13Th-seeded Sloane Stephens executed a whip-smart comeback against Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia, running off the last four games of the match to steal a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory on Day 4 at the Australian Open.

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The stunning comeback propels Stephens into the third round in Melbourne, where she will face Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine.

Stephens led 3-0 in the final set before a lightning delay forced the players off the court. Rain ensued, and when the the pair resumed action after the long delay, Tomljanovic took the fight to Stephens, producing electric shotmaking.

Rain is nothing new to Stephens.

She famously dropped the first set of her quarterfinal with Marion Bartoli at this year's Wimbledon after rain delayed play, leaving the court at 4-5 deuce and returning to lose the next two points and the set. Bartoli went on to win the tournament and has since retired, while Stephens was left to lament.

Today's delay was a bit more extreme due to severe lightning in the area, and it came at the end of a long day that featured a temperature reaching 109 Fahrenheit. Stephens was relieved to be done with her harrowing task.

“It was a really long day,” she said. “It had its ups and downs but in the end I was glad I got the win.”


Tomljanovic emerged from the delay with a fire in her eyes. The 20-year-old ripped winners and struck the ball a physicality and zeal. Stephens, at least for a while, looked dumbstruck.

The American dropped the first five games after the delay and appeared progressively more flummoxed as Tomljanovic deployed her groundstrokes with eye-opening pace.

How Stephens came from the dead in this match, with Tomljanovic completely in control, may be a mystery that we'll never unravel. That's big-time tennis. Some players have that winning charm, and some don't.

It was apparent that Stephens has that charm when she cracked a backhand return and followed it up with a drop shot that barely feathered over the net to earn a break point with the Croatian serving for the match. She would break for 5-5 then serve clutch in the next game to throw the pressure right back to Tomljanovic.

Tomljanovic, to her credit, did not go meekly. She played with courage in the final game, but Stephens still found a way to steal away, lofting a perfect backhand passing shot to save a game point then breaking soon thereafter.

Stephens showed tonight (once again) that she simply has a penchant for winning. Only a few points separate the winner and loser in a tennis match, and Stephens we keep learning that Stephens is pretty darn good at procuring those points.

She is still a work in progress in many ways, but tonight Stephens took a difficult, scratch-and-claw type match and turned it into a shining masterpiece. There's a reason everybody is hyping the woman. That was made clear for all to see on Day 4 in Melbourne.

 

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