Stephens dominates Kerber to reach Miami semifinals, debut in Top 10

On Tuesday at the Miami Open, Sloane Stephens enjoyed another fine day in the office with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of former No. 1 Angelique Kerber. The victory books Stephens a spot in the semifinals, marking her first time beyond the quarterfinals in Miami.

The American has tapped into the elite form that saw her win the US Open seemingly out of nowhere last year. While she’s struggled in the months since, the 25-year-old turned things around just in time for her hometown tournament.

“The fact that the tournament is in South Florida and all my family and friends and everyone can come and support, it's incredibly special,” Stephens said. “But any American tournament is like that, anywhere you go that you have friends and family and everything. So it's super special to do it here.”

Match point:

It took Stephens just 23 minutes to pocket the first set over the two-time Grand Slam champion. The wind, gusting over 20 m.p.h., had a huge impact on both players.

"This was uncomfortable, but you've got to get out of your comfort zone to get your best results," Stephens said. "A little adversity never hurt anybody."

Kerber is the second two-time Grand Slam champion Stephens has beaten this week, after taking out Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth round. Stephens went through a dip after her breakthrough New York fortnight, understandably needing time to adjust to a full-time schedule.

"But I think that patience will outdo anything, hard work will outdo anything, and sometimes life happens and things happen and you have to kind of just go with it," Stephens said. "I think now, after Australia, I knew what I had to do to get myself back in shape and back ready to be playing, and I just stayed patient with myself."

Match point, vs. Muguruza:

Stephens had to double down through some long points in the second set as Kerber raised her level. The German has put in a lot of work herself to emerge from a malaise, pulling herself out of what was essentially a year-long slump in 2017. She still couldn't find her range, committing 23 unforced errors to Stephens' modest 13.

"I just played my game," the world No. 12 said. "I had a good game plan. I stuck to it the whole time and I tried to execute as well as I could in the wind."

Winning the US Open changed a lot for Stephens, and one of the the biggest differences is that she's a title contender in any draw she enters. She’s proven she's more than capable of beating the biggest names on the greatest stages, and that’s not something a few rough losses can take away.

And with her play in Miami, Stephens will finally crack the Top 10 for the first time in her career.

"Finally. Oh, my God. I'm so tired of them being, like, career-high ranking, No. 11," Stephens said. "Like, finally I can move in there. That's really exciting."

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