Sloane Stephens’ rise to the top has been nothing short of a fairy-tale. She first emerged as a strong doubles player in her junior days. The American star won three back-to-back junior Grand Slam titles in doubles. She partnered with the Hungarian Timea Babos to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open girls’ doubles titles.

Further, she won her first Grand Slam title in women’s singles in 2017. She had defeated fellow American Madison Keys in the summit clash to claim the biggest victory of her career at the US Open. The following year, she reached the French Open finals, losing out to Romania’s Simona Halep in the finals.

Last week, Sloane won her first WTA title of the season. However, she admitted to having a bittersweet moment despite winning the title.

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Sloane Stephens reacts after winning the WTA 250 Guadalajara title

The 28-year-old defeated Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 in the summit clash to clinch her first title of the year. She took to Instagram to express her feelings after winning the title.

Sloane said, “The first title as Mrs. Altidore. What an amazing week in Guadalajara! Thank you to everyone for the support! It feels so great to be out here doing what I love and getting to see my hard work pay off.”

Further, she added, “This is such a bittersweet moment for me to celebrate this win as, like many of you, I’ve been watching the news all week, and I am truly heartbroken for the people in Ukraine. I stand in solidarity with my fellow WTA athletes in their calls and prayers for peace and with our global community, calling for an immediate end to this violence.”

Her fellow players congratulated her after the victory. Madison Keys, praising her effort, said, “Proud of You.” Further, Frances Tiafoe wrote, “You are the one……..period. Pumped for you slim.” Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and others also joined in showering praises for Sloane.

This was an important victory for the American after a discouraging start to the season. She had lost in the first round of the Australian Open to Emma Raducanu in three sets. However, she has peaked at the right time with the ‘Sunshine Double’ to follow.

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