Sloane Stephens has started the clay court season by making headlines at the Open de Rouen. Entering the newly upgraded WTA 250 tournament as the sixth seed, the American tennis star has outshined some of the big guns to book a place in the championship game. In doing so, the former Grand Slam champion is now on the verge of pulling off a similar stellar run this season as her compatriot, Danielle Collins.

After experiencing some lackluster runs this season, Stephens has now made amends at the indoor clay court event in Rouen. The American started her campaign by pulling off a brilliant comeback against her compatriot Peyton Stearns, as she prevailed in a three-set thriller, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. She then went on to come out on top in the round of 16 game against Karolína Plíšková. In the quarterfinals, the former US Open champion then thumped the fourth-seeded Chinese Yue Yuan in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.

Even the second seed, Caroline Garcia, has now tasted a straight-set defeat at the hands of Stephens, who won with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals. The big stage is now set for the title match in Rouen, as the sixth-seeded American will lock horns with her unseeded Polish opponent, Magda Linette. As she has secured a place in the championship game, Stephens has also managed to emulate her compatriot Collins’ run to the Miami Open final this season.

A rare similarity between Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens’ recent campaigns

Just like Stephens, the current number 15 American player also pulled off a phenomenal comeback in the first match of her campaign at the Miami Open. After dropping the first set against Bernarda Pera, Danielle Collins turned the match in her favor as she won with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. The 30-year-old then went on to beat the likes of Anastasia Potapov, Elina Avanesyan, Sorana Cîrstea, and Caroline Garcia to reach the semifinals in Miami. She also managed to overcome the 14th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, in straight sets of their semis.

Collins finally tasted glory on her home turf after outclassing the fourth seed, Elena Rybakina, in a blockbuster championship game. The American’s run is quite similar to that of her compatriot Stephens’ at the Open de Rouen, as both players managed to reach the finals after facing a huge scare in their respective openers. If she beats Linette in the finals, Stephens will also manage to clone one of Collins’ triumphant runs this season.

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