Serena Williams advances to Roland Garros quarterfinals
There would only be one American left in the women's draw after Monday's fourth-round match between Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens.
Stephens, the young American once considered the heir apparent to Williams' seat atop women's tennis, or Williams, the 19-time Grand Slam champion who, at 33, is showing no signs of slowing down.
Stephens has excelled on clay courts. She came into the match without dropping a set in the first week, including a dominant win over Venus Williams in the first round. Serena Williams came in having dropped the first set in each of her two previous matches, a rare occurence for the two-time French Open champion.
Stephens kept both of those streaks alive, capturing the first set on Monday, 6-1. She looked poised to knock Williams out of the draw, to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since she knocked Williams out of the Australian Open quarters in 2013. Williams had other plans.
Stephens came within three points of closing out the match, leading 5-4 in the second set. She led love-15 in the game, before Williams took over. She won four points in a row to even the set at 5-all. Williams broke Stephens in the next game, then held serve to close out the second set.
Despite 43 unforced errors, Williams took the match, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Williams is known for marching through Grand Slams, often arriving on the final day without having dropped a set.
And yet in Paris, her opponents are challenging her more than she's seen in recent memory. She came into the fortnight with only one loss in the entire season – an amazing 24-1 on the year. She referred to her lone loss as good preperation for Roland Garros, foresight that has proven accurate thus far.
On Monday, seeing Williams eke out the win was hardly a surprise, especially to those who know Williams is 10-0 in three-set matches this year. Williams, though, said she was never as certain as the fans.
"Not simple for me today. I'm surprised to win," Williams told the crowd, speaking in French. "Experience helped me."
If experience is what makes the difference, Williams has an incredible advantage heading into the quarterfinals. Only two other former Grand Slam champions remain in the women's draw.
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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact her at delliot@yahoo-inc.com or find her on Twitter and Facebook.
