Sloane Stephens bounced from Australian Open
MELBOURNE – Where does Sloane Stephens go from here? Up, the American hopes.
The 2013 Australian Open semifinalist fell in the opening round Tuesday against former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-2 in their third consecutive meeting in Melbourne. Stephens, the world No. 32, will fall outside of the top 40 with the loss.
"It was just a tough draw," the 21-year-old told a swarm of reporters after the defeat. "I'm obviously disappointed that I lost today, but if I dwell on this, the next 25 tournaments of the year are probably going to suck, too. I'm going to try and keep my head up and work as hard as I can to get ready for the next tournaments."
Stephens burst onto the international scene two years ago at this event when she shocked Serena Williams in a dramatic three-set quarterfinal. She lost to Azarenka in her next match, but reached a career-high No. 11 ranking later that year and made the second week of six majors in a row in 2013 and 2014.
Yet that streak was broken at Wimbledon last year with a first round loss, and Stephens' defeat at the hands of Azarenka means she's won just one round in the last three Grand Slams.
"I've played some tough players in the first round in the last couple of majors," Stephens said. "It's not fun being out of a Grand Slam in the first round, but it's something to grow from."
The question is can she grow? Stephens was seen as a potential next big star in American tennis after her defeat of Williams, but her game seemingly plateaued. She is now working with childhood coach Nick Saviano, her third in a year.
"It's tough being out here," the Los Angeles-based Stephens said. "I'm hopefully going to do my best and win a ton of matches. That's all I can hope for."
Stephens was defending fourth round points here, meaning she could fall as low as No. 45 when a new list is released at the conclusion of the Australian Open on February 1. That will be Stephens' lowest ranking since September 2012.
"It's a long road, it's tough," she added, "but if I didn't have these losses I wouldn't know how it is. Obviously I can't be perfect all the time, but I'm going to do my best and try and get back up there. That's what happens."
Stephens said she will play in WTA events in Monterrey and Acapulco, Mexico, in February before traveling back to the U.S. in March for events Indian Wells and Miami.
Stephens played a role in several media mini-storms in 2013 after her defeat of Williams, telling ESPN the Magazine that her personal relationship with her one-time role model had soured.
Stephens asserted on Tuesday that she still wants success to drive her place in the spotlight.
"You guys are still here," she told reporters. "You guys are still talking about me. When you stop coming to press conferences I know there's definitely something wrong."