By Canadian Press

Former U.S. Open champ Stephens ends five-year victory drought at Australian Open

Jan 15, 2024 | 7:08 PM

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Sloane Stephens picked up her first win at the Australian Open since 2019 when she beat wild-card entry Olivia Gadecki 6-3, 6-1 on Monday to reach the second round.

The 30-year-old American, who won the U.S. Open in 2017, won five straight games from 2-0 down in the opening set and eased through the second to clinch victory in just under an hour.

“Really pleased with the way I played,” said Stephens, who reached the semifinals of the event in 2013 but has lost in the first round in seven of her past eight visits to Melbourne.

“I’ve been working a lot on making the opponents play. I think that’s something I had got away from. Pleased with the win.”

Women’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek and men’s second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz begin their title bids later Monday.

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Swiatek plays another American, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin. Swiatek is looking to win her fifth Grand Slam title but first in Australia.

Alcaraz, last year’s Wimbledon winner, plays Richard Gasquet in the final match of the night session on Rod Laver Arena.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The Associated Press