NEW YORK – Once a sure bet to stick around for a while at Grand Slam tournaments, Sloane Stephens of the United States stumbled to her earliest loss at the U.S. Open, upset in the second round Wednesday by 96th-ranked Johanna Larsson.
"Everyone goes through times like this," said Stephens, who was seeded 21st. "I'm not the first person and won't be the last."
Down a set and a break, Larsson rallied to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. The 26-year-old Swede had been 0-4 at Flushing Meadows before this year.
The match ended on Stephens' 63rd unforced error.
Stephens, 21, reached at least the fourth round at six consecutive major tournaments starting with the 2013 Australian Open, when she stunned Serena Williams to make the semifinals. The longest active streak at the time, it ended with a first-round loss at Wimbledon this summer.
She had advanced to at least the third round in three previous trips to the U.S. Open.
Venus sticks around
Two-time U.S. Open champion Venus Williams reached the third round for the first time since 2010, beating 78th-ranked Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 6-1, 6-4.
The 19th-seeded Williams, at 34 the oldest woman left in the draw, had departed in the second round at Flushing Meadows three years in a row.
