Sloane Stephens has not been playing at her best for quite some time now. Thus, this performance is quite refreshing. We know she has the talent; however, questions remain about her level of commitment. I am happy to see her fighting with enthusiasm and today she needed to fight against crowd favorite, Diane Parry. Despite the 6-2, 6-3 score, Stephens had to maintain her focus to win it in two. Perhaps this will be the tournament that reignites the fire in Sloane Stephens.
Some Americans Won And Some Lost
[18] Coco Gauff defeated the often dangerous, Kaia Kanepi, 6-3, 6-4. [27] Amanda Anisimova defeated Karolina Muchova after the Czech player got injured and retired. [23] John Isner lost in a five-set battle to [131] Bernabe Zapata Miralles. This is the furthest Miralles has gone in any major and this is the third consecutive American that the Spaniard has defeated. Brandon Nakashima lost in three sets to [3] Alexander Zverev. Credit the young American, who fought hard but just fell short in both tiebreakers.
Embed from Getty ImagesDay 6: Seeded Players Fall At Roland Garros
It was to be expected, when two seeds contest a match only one will win. Some who lost today were surprising. [5] Rafael Nadal defeated [26] Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. I must say that I am quite surprised that Nadal has been able to perform this long without any apparent signs of his foot or rib injuries that recently threw him off his game. Next up for Nadal is an interesting opponent, [9] Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian player is being coached by none other than Toni Nadal, Rafa’s former coach and uncle.
Leylah Fernadez Too Determined For Belinda Bencic
[14] Belinda Bencic lost in three sets to [17] Leylah Fernandez. It was a battle from start to finish, and we are getting accustomed to Fernandez’s fighting spirit. [15] Diego Schwartzman defeated [18] Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. [15] Victoria Azarenka lost in a three-set battle to [23] Jil Teichmann. [21] Angelique Kerber lost 4-6, 6-7(5) to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES AND ALL AMERICAN PLAYERS ARE UNDERLINED
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