America’s Sloane Stephens defeated compatriot and close friend Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 to lift her first Grand Slam title at the finals of the US Open tournament on Saturday.
This was the first Grand Slam final for both players. With a combined ranking of 99, the match-up between No.16 Keys and No. 83 Stephens is the lowest for the title match at the US Open since computerised rankings began in November 1975.
Stephens, until four weeks back, was ranked 957. She had missed the last 11 months recovering from a stress fracture. Keys was also recovering from a wrist injury, and both became good friends during their time out of the Australian Open earlier this year.
On the court, Stephens was the far superior player. She managed to get a crucial break in the third game of the first set, capitalising on it and breaking Keys again to take it 6-3. It seemed Keys never really recovered from that and seemed worn out as she lost the next set 0-6.
In a sweet moment, both players shared a long hug at the net. They were both seen sitting next to each other and chatting, before the trophy ceremony had begun.
“Sloane is truly one of my favourite people and to get to play her was really special. Obviously I didn’t play my best tennis today and was disappointed,” Keys said. “But Sloane, being the great friend that she is, was very supportive. And if there’s someone I have to lose to today, I’m glad it’s her.”
Stephens shared the same sentiment. “I should just retire now,” Stephens joked, speaking about her comeback.
