US Open 2017: Sloane Stephens relied on disciplined strategy to dismantle Madison Keys

After 61 minutes of flawless play, Sloane Stephens clenched her fists lightly, exhaled and slowly smiled at her coach and friends, as she won the US Open title with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over fellow American, Madison Keys. It was a subdued celebration, a marked contrast from the victory scream that accompanied her earlier victories during the tournament, but one that grew as the weight of what she had achieved began to sink in. After their semi-final matches, most observers would have expected that Keys would be the player most likely to win such a lopsided victory. After all, her dominant, 6-1, 6-2 semi-final victory over CoCo Vandeweghe seemed to show that Keys’ power game was ready to rule over the tour. On the other hand, Stephens was locked in a see-saw battle with Venus Williams, where the outcome very much hung in the balance until Stephens hit a streak of brilliance at 5-5 in the third set and rode it to victory. Could she replicate that performance with a younger, more powerful player who seemed to be locked into her game? [caption id=“attachment_4027489” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Sloane Stephens holds up the US Open trophy after beating Madison Keys. AP[/caption] Today, Stephens answered that question with a resounding yes. After a tentative first few games from both players, Stephens struck first, breaking Keys in the sixth game of the first set to take a 4-2 lead.  Keys only won one more game for the rest of the match, though she never stopped fighting. Without a doubt, Keys’ level never reached the heights she achieved in the semi-finals, but much of her drop in level is attributable to the inspired play of her opponent. What set Stephens apart during Saturday’s final was the confidence and patience she displayed in dismantling Keys’ seemingly impenetrable game. While Stephens has a powerful forehand, which she certainly put to use against Keys, she won the match with a disciplined strategy that she had not always displayed earlier in her career. Particularly in this era of big hitting tennis, playing a counterpunching game and drawing errors from an opponent is not an easy task. It requires the type of point to point grinding that can be frustrating, especially for a player as talented as Stephens. The type of workaday points she won so frequently in the final, where Stephens retrieved and retrieved until she forced an error from Keys — are often less satisfying than thwacking a winner. And, over the years, Stephens has sometimes lacked the patience and the will to play those kinds of points, which contributed to her faltering results. But on Saturday, Stephens’ efforts paid off — Keys ended the match with 30 unforced errors to 18 winners, with both numbers attributable to Stephens’ constant pressure on Keys’ groundstrokes. Even the New York crowd, who would have preferred a more competitive match, had to applaud Stephens’ sustained excellence, with standing ovations throughout the second set. Perhaps the most impressive part of Stephens’ run in New York is the sense of urgency that she brought to each of her matches.  Even in a lopsided final, Stephens refused to give up on any point, pushing to win every game of the second set, when it seemed victory was certain. It’s the same drive that helped her push past Venus Williams in a tight third set and Anastasija Sevastova in a final set tiebreak in the quarter-finals. Without it, she could have exited the tournament much earlier, as each opponent pushed Stephens to the absolute limit — and yet, Stephens still had enough determination left to win convincingly against her good friend, Keys. It’s a distinct contrast to the player Stephens was prior to her January 2017 foot surgery. Since her breakthrough run to the Australian Open semi-finals in 2013, Stephens had always taken a more nonchalant approach to her career trajectory, noting that she was young and had plenty of time to rack up titles. While Stephens, at age 24, is still young, upon her return from injury, she no longer seemed willing to let time pass before she took advantage of her opportunities. Certainly, the tough realities of the tour gave her some perspective — talent alone may not yield titles. After all, the field is filled with talent — it’s the mental edge that makes the difference at this level, and Stephens showed that edge on Saturday. Tennis is a game that came easily to Stephens — she was not groomed for tennis, as many of her peers were. Rather, she simply tried out the game as a nine-year-old because her stepfather played. But, her natural eye-hand coordination and quickness make her a natural for the game, and she rose through its ranks quickly. But, the last few years have proved challenging — and Stephens had to develop grit to go along with her grace. But, now that she has put the two together, there’s no telling where she can go.