By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Sloane Stephens stormed through nine of the last 10 games booting Timea Babos, 6-3, 6-1, to roll into the Australian Open third round.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
An old tennis adage warns: What you don't know can hurt you.
The Australian Open second round reminded us familiarity produces pain, too.
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Nine years ago, Sloane Stephens partnered buddy Timea Babos to win three of the four Grand Slam girls' doubles titles.
The teammates reunited as rivals today and shared smiles during the pre-match coin toss.
Following the photo-op, Stephens was in no mood for altruistic alliance.
Earning break points in every single game her friend served, Stephens stormed through nine of the last 10 games booting Babos, 6-3, 6-1, to roll into the Australian Open third round.
"I knew that she was a very good player and I just had to be patient, her serve is ridiculously good," Stephens said. "So I just had to hang in there and be patient. And I thought I did that well today."
It was Stephens' 19th win in her last 23 Grand Slam matches.
The 2017 US Open champion was first rate on second serve winning 75 percent (12 of 16) second-serve points while staving off two of the three break points she faced.
Moving smoothly and spreading the court shrewdly, Stephens drained 44 unforced errors from Babos—23 more than she committed—and spent much of the match pushing her former partner to the triple break-point precipice.
Conceding, she's not an early riser, Stephens was satisfied with her closing power. She exited the court in 95 minutes setting up a third-round clash with 31st-seeded Petra Martic.
"I don't like to get up so early, but I guess today was okay it worked out well," said Stephens, who scored a three-set win over Martic in their lone prior meeting at the 2013 Cincinnati event.
Stephens won every challenge she made. About the only thing she did not do efficiently is break serve. Babos, who played her best in those dire triple-break point deficits, saved 18 of 23 break points.
The fifth-seeded American is one of eight women with a shot to rise to world No. 1 at the end of the tournament.
On a day Stephens surged, seeds scattered.
Russian powerhouse Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova converted five of seven break points surprising ninth-seeded Kiki Bertens, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
"Today was really tough, I was one set down," Pavlyuchenkova said. "So just try to fight and that was it."
Ultimately, the resolute Russian rallied behind a simple, primal philosophy.
"Just move your legs, move your feet, fight, try to put it," Pavlyuchenkova said. "There is no magic. You just have to work every point. I repeat it 100 times, she's a really good fighter."
It was Pavlyuchenkova's second straight win over the first Dutch woman to be ranked in the Top 10 since Brenda Schultz-McCarthy in 1996.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich continued a dynamic start to the season dispatching 20th-seeded Anett Kontaveit, 6-3, 6-3, matching her career-best Melbourne result with a second straight trip to the third round.
Sasnovich saved nine of 10 break points and has now won nine of 11 matches on the season, including Top 20 triumphs over Elina Svitolina, Daria Kasatkina and Kontaveit.
A year ago, the 24-year-old Belarusian was ranked No. 56.
A streaking Sasnovich has spiked 25 spots to No. 31 and will face 2017 quarterfinalist Pavlyuchenkova for spot in the round of 16. The winner of that match will square off against the Stephens vs. Martic winner for a place in the quarterfinals.
Bertens and Kontaveit joined the 10th-seeded Kasatkina and 14th-seeded Julia Goerges, who was upset by American Danielle Collins, in falling from the field.
Stephens rocketed a 92 mph forehand missile earning the first break for 3-1 only to see Babos break back then level at 3-all.
Relentless pressure from the Roland Garros runner-up put Babos down love-40 in the eighth game. The reigning Australian Open doubles champ saved all three then a fourth break point but slapped successive forehands into net as Stephens broke for 5-3 with a firm "come on!"
Fifty minutes into the match, Babos battered away five set points forcing Stephens to sweat through a physical ninth game.
The Roland Garros runner-up kept calm and swatted a forehand swing volley for a sixth set point. Initially it seemed the seven-minute game might continue when a Babos forehand was called good. Stephens challenged the call, replay showed the ball landed long and the fifth seed finally sealed a hard-fought 56-minute opening set.
Twice, the Hungarian roared back from triple-break point down, but every time Babos made a push Stephens answered.
Though the 5'10" Babos owns a big serve predicated on a high toss, Stephens stressed her former doubles partner earning a break point in Babos' first five service games.
Churning power and confounding versatility from Stephens' forehand was a key. Stephens can impart more spin on that shot that her opponent and used her side-spinning forehand to bound off the court and force Babos into replies from the doubles alley at times.
While Babos can belt the ball when she has time to set her feet, she sometimes chipped her forehand when rushed and Stephens pounced breaking to start the second set.
Displaying tremendous grit, Babos again battled back from triple break down to snap a five-game slide for 1-2. By then, Babos had saved 15 of the 18 break points she faced.
Stephens was cruising through service games but feeling the frustration with the freaky inability to convert triple break point.
Remarkably, Babos dug out of a triple break point hole in the fourth game. On the fourth break point of the game and 22nd break point of the match, Stephens successfully challenged another Babos drive incorrectly ruled good to gain the second break.
Bursting through a love hold, Stephens stretched the lead to 5-1 before breaking to close.