World No.33 Krejcikova Halts Sloane Stephens’ Resurgence, Reaches Maiden Slam QF’s at French Open 2021

Two days after ousting 18th seed Karolina Muchova, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens crashed out of the 2021 French Open. Stephens suffered a humiliating straight-sets defeat at the hands of Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round of the clay-court Grand Slam.

The American started the first set on a disastrous note as she lost her opening service game and surrendered a commanding 2-0 lead to her opponent. Serving 3-1 in the first set, Stephens’ hopes of surviving were shattered by Krejcikova as she broke her service game for the second time to inch closer towards claiming the opening set.

The Czech tennis player continued dominating Stephens from the baseline, winning a whopping 93% first-serve points during the opening set to clinch the set 6-2.

Krejcikova bagels Sloane Stephens

The second set unraveled similarly, with Stephens losing her opening service game. The 28-year-old’s poor movement, a string of unforced errors, and subpar returns exacerbated her problems as the set progressed.

While Krejcikova continued to hold her service games, on the other side, Stephens, lost her two successive service games to give her rival an unassailable 5-0 lead in the second set.

Staring at a bagel, Stephens summoned up her leftover energy reserves to claw back into the match. However, despite creating a breakpoint opportunity in the sixth game, Stephens failed to convert.

At her second match point, Krejcikova hit a forehand winner to claim victory and stormed into her career’s maiden Grand Slam singles quarterfinals. The 25-year-old raised her hands in the air to celebrate as she bagel’d Stephens, a huge testament to her menacing performance.

Up next, Krejcikova would either face teenager, Coco Gauff, or Ons Jabeur for a place in the semifinals of the French Open. Apart from making the singles quarterfinals, Krejcikova has also reached the last-8 stage in the doubles and mixed doubles draw at Roland Garros.

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