Stephens squeaks past Giorgi with a 4-6, 6-1, 8-6 win in Roland Garros

PARIS—As recently as two years ago, up against someone with as atonal a playing style as Camila Giorgi, it would have been easy to see Sloane Stephens not so much crumbling as sagging her way to defeat. But even after Giorgi had served for today’s third-round match twice in the third set, at 5-4 and 6-5, Stephens showed a refreshing brand of persistence and tactical acuity. Less rollercoaster than turbulent plane ride, this 146-minute match was won by Stephens by the beguiling score of 4-6, 6-1, 8-6.

If you look at a good tennis match as a form of spirited two-way dialogue, then Giorgi, at least with her racquet, is that loudmouth who just won’t shut up.

Said Stephens, “She plays kind of crazy but in a good way. She makes a lot of—she hits a lot of winners and plays very unpredictable so it's hard to get a rhythm. But I thought today she was making a lot of balls, she was playing really well.”

The shots issued from Giorgi’s frame are often missiles, lasers that don’t so much find corners as drill their way into them, a concussive crispness that leaves many a match simply in her hands. Errors are frequent and often inexplicable—wide, long, into the net, Giorgi can bring them on any given point. If you’re her opponent, expect to say nothing—and be delighted when you can speak up.

Match point from Stephens' win over Giorgi:

As for Stephens, it’s now possible to view her career in the BC and AD phase. BC was the pre-2017 Stephens, a talent who had generated many fine results but often struck me as more a witness to her tennis than participant. While certainly not as erratic as Giorgi, this Stephens too was subject to odd lapses, puzzling shot selection decisions and a wavering engagement with competition.

The AD Stephens began to surface last summer. In the wake of a foot surgery that took her out of the game for nearly a year, distance (and perhaps even seeing the game through the eyes of a TV commentator while working for Tennis Channel) aided Stephens’ cause. Stephens’ title runs at the US Open and Miami have demonstrated a blossoming mix of court sense, poise and, most of all, as Stephens sees it, her movement.

All three of those assets were necessary this afternoon. Down 1-3 in the first set, Giorgi had taken five of six games to win it 6-4. Surprisingly, with Stephens serving at 4-5, 30-all, Giorgi had played a pair of impressive defensive points. On the first, she’d rolled a crosscourt backhand passing shot proficiently enough to elicit a Stephens volley error. On the next, she’d flung back a forceful Stephens backhand to trigger a forehand into the net.

But the Giorgi game is light years from linear. Serving to start the second, she was broken at 15. While the first set had taken an hour, the second only lasted 28 minutes, Stephens making a mere four unforced errors to Giorgi’s 14.

In tennis purgatory, you will enter a decisive set versus Giorgi. You will witness untouchable winners, groundstrokes scorched into the net or long, others steered wide, even occasional setups bludgeoned and miscued. Whether Giorgi is winning or losing, you will be wondering if you are in heaven or hell. And you won’t know until the match is over.

Giorgi served at 2-1 in the third, led 15-love and promptly lost four straight points. At 4-all, Stephens was broken at 15. The Court 18 crowd, filled from the start at 11:00 a.m., began a melodic clap.

“It was packed. It was super loud. The fans were, like, doing the wave,” said Stephens. “It was super fun. To play a tennis match like in that environment is—I mean, there is not much more you can ask for.”

Though Giorgi had dictated the tempo of so many points, Stephens now stuck her foot in the door just enough to keep it from being slammed shut. Composed enough to keep the ball high and deep, alert enough to read the direction of a Giorgi volley at 15-30, Stephens broke for 5-all, but was broken once again. Further déjà vu: Giorgi misfired on two straight backhands, fought back to 30-all but was unable to close it out.

With Stephens serving at 6-6, 30-all, Giorgi lashed out at a return that Stephens let go, the American requesting the chair umpire inspect the call. It was wide. A shanked backhand from Giorgi put Stephens ahead. At 6-7, having lost serve the last two times, Giorgi served on the edge of a knife. At 30-all, Giorgi fired a backhand long. On the match point, Stephens played a solid return high and deep—and made the same error. Stephens had now won three straight matches at a tournament for only the third time since last August. For what it’s worth, the other two came on her title runs at the US Open and Miami. Loudly as Giorgi’s racquet had spoken, Stephens’ listening skills had at last taken her to heaven.

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