U.S. Open: Larsson d. Stephens

“I’ve been trying to tell myself to go for it. You won’t win matches by holding back.”

NEW YORK—Johanna Larsson spoke those words immediately after she eliminated No. 21 seed Sloane Stephens in a second-round match today in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It would be wise for Stephens to read and study them if she wants to halt the slide that has seen her fall from No. 11 in the world to No. 24.

Larsson won this see-saw, two-hour and 13-minute clash which produced 14 breaks of serve, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. At one point, Larsson trailed by a set and 0-3. But her perseverance, focus, enthusiasm, and energy—qualities that contrasted markedly with Stephens’ casual demeanor and frequent bouts of passivity—ultimately helped her win the day.

Stephens has built a reputation as a player who elevates her game at Grand Slam events. But she was a first-round loser at Wimbledon in June, and here she’s taken another bad loss. Worse yet, she’s missed an enormous opportunity: While Stephens was drifting in and out of her battle with Larsson, No. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska was eliminated by Peng Shuai. Thus, the most fearsome players left in Stephens’ quarter of the draw are No. 6 seed Angelique Kerber and No. 9 Jelena Jankovic—formidable, but hardly guarantees.

Stephens seemed unfazed by all these details and their implications after the match. She said, “I had many opportunities and just couldn’t convert.” Defending herself against the suggestion that she’s no longer making progress and getting better, she pushed back: “Everyone works at their own pace; I’m not going to dwell on this, I will keep improving and getting better and looking forward to the next tournament.”

This match-up had appeal for any fan of shotmaking skill, Stephens is unpredictable and creative; you just never know when she’s going to pull the trigger on a big forehand—both a good and bad thing. Larsson is free-swinging and impetuous. The 26-year-old Swede is ranked No. 96, but has been as high as No. 46, just a little more than two years ago. Her game is volcanic, and while she drills a few balls into the cheap seats in every match, it’s nice to see someone besides Sam Stosur really bring the kick serve.

The first set was an interesting affair that vividly demonstrated the large role reluctance, or something very much like it, plays in Stephens’ game. When she’s alert, eager, and moving forward, she often looks nothing less than formidable. But there’s an enormous measure of passivity in her make-up as a competitor, and that’s just what players have preyed upon—and will continue to exploit. You have to give Larsson credit in that regard. Stephens clearly is the more gifted player, but Larsson’s simple zeal makes up for some of her shortcomings.

Stephens had to survive a break point in the first game, and she was broken in the third thanks to back-to-back backhand and forehand errors. That seemed to snap Stephens to life, for she broke right back, although she was just as much spectator as aggressor when Larsson blew up, losing the game at love (the final point was a double-fault).

In any event, they were back on serve at 2-2, after which the players held serve until Stephens double-faulted away a game that left Larsson serving for the set at 5-4.

But for the second time, Stephens broke right back and, after a strong hold, she broke Larsson like a stick of raw pasta. Once again, it was a love game, the last two points a forehand winner by Stephens and a set-ending forehand error by her rival.

Stephens kept her foot on the gas at the start of the second set, but any hope that she would take that 3-0 lead and drive the match home was quickly ruined. In fact, she wouldn’t put together another hold in the set. The errors were beginning to flow freely from Stephens’s racquet, and she seemed unable to shake out the cobwebs and get back into the match.

Larsson was obliged to fight for every inch of the ground she gained, though. Stephens had break points in two of the three service games played as Larsson fought to force a decider. The set ended with Stephens and Larsson engaged in a fierce rally that ended when the American clubbed a prodigious forehand well out.

In the final set, Stephens had a point to take another 3-0 lead, but Larsson played a terrific point—she ran down a lob and caught Stephens moving forward with a lob of her own. The ball sailed over Stephens’ head, and while she made the get, her reply fell out. That break, combined with Larsson’s subsequent hold for 2-all, was the turning point in the match. Stephens, looking increasingly discouraged and indifferent, wouldn’t win another game.

The most striking details on the stat sheet tell of wasted resources and blown opportunities by Stephens. She converted over 70 percent of her first serves, yet was broken eight times as Larsson put an outstanding 86 percent of her returns into play. And Stephens clubbed a grand total of 63 unforced errors—more than twice as many as Larsson.

Defiant in defeat, Stephens insisted that this was the kind of match that happens to everyone, that it wasn’t the end of the world. No, it wasn’t the end of the all things, but it was the end of Stephens’ 2014 U.S. Open, and it put another significant dent in her reputation.

Photos by Anita Aguilar