Career Timeline of Sloane Stephens: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Sloane Stephens made an impact.

Sloane Stephens is an American professional tennis player, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 3 by the WTA. Her notable achievements include winning eight WTA Tour-level singles titles, highlighted by her victory at the 2017 US Open. In doubles, Stephens holds a career-high ranking of No. 63 and has secured one WTA title.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1981: American Semifinals at US Open

In 2017, Sloane Stephens set up the first all-American semifinals at the US Open since 1981.

1985: American Semifinals at a Major

In 2017, Sloane Stephens set up the first all-American semifinals at a major since Wimbledon in 1985.

1998: First to Win US Open

In 2017, Sloane Stephens became the first American woman to win the US Open since Lindsay Davenport in 1998.

2002: First All-American Semifinal Since 2002

In 2002, the French Open witnessed its first all-American semifinal since 2002, featuring a rematch of the 2017 US Open final between Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys.

2002: First American Woman to Win a Major Title

In 2017, Sloane Stephens became the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to win a major title since Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open in 2002.

2006: Lindsay Davenport Ranked in Top 5

In 2006, Sloane Stephens achieved a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world, making her the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to be ranked in the top 5 in singles since Lindsay Davenport in 2006.

2006: ITF Junior Circuit Debut

In 2006, at the age of 13, Sloane Stephens began competing in low-level events on the ITF Junior Circuit.

2007: First Professional Events

In late 2007, Sloane Stephens played her first professional events on the ITF Women's Circuit.

2008: Miami Open Qualifying

In 2008, Sloane Stephens first played at the Miami Open qualifying round.

2008: US Open Doubles Final

In 2008, Sloane Stephens had her first breakthrough result at the US Open, where she reached her first doubles final at a Grand Slam with Mallory Burdette.

2008: WTA Tour Debut and First Doubles Title

In 2008, Sloane Stephens received a qualifying wildcard into her first WTA Tour event, the Miami Open, and won her first professional title in doubles at a low-level event in Wichita, alongside partner Christina McHale.

2009: Roger Smith began coaching Stephens

In 2009, Roger Smith began coaching Sloane Stephens. During their time together, Stephens became a top-ranked junior, won three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles, and entered the top 100 of the WTA rankings.

2009: Debut in World TeamTennis

In 2009, Sloane Stephens debuted in the World TeamTennis league with the New York Buzz.

2009: World TeamTennis and Turning Pro

In 2009, Sloane Stephens participated in World TeamTennis as a member of the New York Buzz and decided to turn pro in October.

2009: Junior Titles

In 2009, Sloane Stephens won her first two tournaments of the year, the Grade 1 USTA International Spring Championships and the Grade A Italian Open.

March 2010: WTA Tour Main-Draw Debut

In March 2010, Sloane Stephens qualified for the Indian Wells Open, making her WTA Tour main-draw debut a week before turning 17, defeating Lucie Hradecká in her first main-draw match.

2010: Junior Grand Slam Events

Following big titles in 2009, Sloane Stephens only played in the remaining junior Grand Slam events in 2010 and skipped the Australian Open.

2010: Clothing sponsor was Under Armour

From 2010 Sloane Stephens' clothing sponsor was Under Armour.

2010: Junior Doubles Titles

In 2010, Sloane Stephens, as a promising junior player, achieved a junior ranking of world No. 5 and won three out of four major girls' doubles titles with her partner Tímea Babos.

2011: WTA Rankings Climb and Grand Slam Debut

In 2011, Sloane Stephens climbed the WTA rankings, won her first professional singles title at the Camparini Gioielli Cup, and made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the French Open. She also entered the top 100 of the WTA rankings.

June 2012: Switched coaches to David Nainkin

In June 2012, Sloane Stephens switched coaches to David Nainkin to try and qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Despite having a high enough ranking, she narrowly missed qualifying since she was the fifth-highest ranked American and each country was allotted a maximum of four players in each draw.

2012: First Encounter with Halep

In 2012, Simona Halep won her first encounter against Sloane Stephens at the Barcelona Ladies Open.

2012: End of Grand Slam Streak

In 2012, Sloane Stephens' streak of reaching the second week of every major ended at the US Open with a third-round loss.

2013: Victory Against Serena Williams

In 2013, Sloane Stephens achieved her only victory against Serena Williams at the Australian Open, a match that garnered international attention.

2013: Upsets and US Open Performance

In 2013, Sloane Stephens upset Maria Sharapova at the Cincinnati Open and reached the fourth round of the US Open, finishing the year at world No. 12.

2013: Stephens Wins Against Halep

In 2013, Sloane Stephens won her next two meetings against Simona Halep, including a first-round match at the Australian Open.

2013: Australian Open Semifinal Run

In 2013, at the Australian Open, 19-year-old Sloane Stephens rose to prominence with a semifinal run, defeating world No. 3, Serena Williams.

2013: Breakthrough tournament at the Australian Open

In 2013, under coach David Nainkin, Sloane Stephens had her breakthrough tournament at the Australian Open and reached a career-best ranking of No. 11 in the world. She also parted ways with Nainkin after the 2013 season.

2013: US Open Quarterfinal Since Wimbledon

In 2017, Sloane Stephens reached her first US Open quarterfinal and her first major quarterfinal since Wimbledon in 2013.

2013: Fed Cup Debut

In late April 2012, Sloane Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine and the United States returned to the top-level World Group in 2013.

2014: Hopman Cup and Australian Open

In 2014, Sloane Stephens began the year at the Hopman Cup and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open. She also reached her first quarterfinal at a Premier Mandatory event at the Indian Wells Open.

2014: Fed Cup Playoff Tie and Grand Slam Results

In 2014, Sloane Stephens played in the Fed Cup playoff tie, losing her only match, and produced a good Grand Slam tournament result at the French Open, reaching the fourth round. She also made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

2014: Joins Washington Kastles

In 2014, Sloane Stephens played with the Washington Kastles in the World TeamTennis league.

2014: Australian Open Match Wins

In 2014, Sloane Stephens secured her first match wins at the Australian Open since 2014, reaching the fourth round of the tournament.

2014: Halep Enters Top Ten

In 2014, both of Sloane Stephens' wins against Simona Halep came before Halep entered the top ten.

2014: Briefly worked with Thomas Högstedt

In late 2014, Sloane Stephens briefly worked with Thomas Högstedt.

2014: Split with Paul Annacone

In late 2014, Sloane Stephens split with Paul Annacone after not matching the success from her previous year that season.

2015: Returned to coach Nick Saviano

At the start of 2015, Sloane Stephens returned to her longtime junior coach, Nick Saviano. She also won her first WTA title while working with Saviano but did not manage to ascend back up the WTA rankings. In the 2015 offseason, she replaced him with Kamau Murray.

2015: First Meeting with Madison Keys

In 2015, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys first met in the second round of the Miami Open.

2016: Angelique Kerber Champion at US Open

In 2016, Angelique Kerber was the champion at the US Open.

2016: Grand Slam Results and Injury

In 2016, Sloane Stephens struggled at Grand Slam tournaments and high-level Premier events. She was hindered by a left foot injury for most of the year and later diagnosed with a stress fracture.

2016: Coaching Change and WTA Titles

In 2016, Sloane Stephens switched to a new coach, Kamau Murray, and subsequently won three WTA titles in the first half of the year. Her successful year was cut short by a foot injury.

2016: Won three titles

In 2016, with Kamau Murray as her coach, Sloane Stephens won three titles.

2017: Surgery and Expected Absence

In 2016, after struggling with a left foot injury, Sloane Stephens had surgery which kept her out for the first half of 2017.

2017: US Open Victory Against Keys

In 2017, Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys in the final of the US Open to win her first major title.

2017: US Open Final Rematch

In 2017, Sloane Stephens played a rematch of the 2017 US Open final against Madison Keys in the semifinals of the French Open.

2017: Joins Philadelphia Freedoms

In 2017, Sloane Stephens played with the Philadelphia Freedoms in the World TeamTennis league.

2017: Return from Injury and US Open Win

In 2017, Sloane Stephens returned from injury and won the US Open in her fifth tournament back. She was also awarded WTA Comeback Player of the Year.

2017: Won first major at the US Open

In 2017, Sloane Stephens won her first major title at the US Open with Kamau Murray as her coach.

2017: Won the US Open

When Sloane Stephens won the 2017 US Open, she recalled an instance at age 11 when her mother believed Stephens had high upside, despite being told by an instructor that she would be lucky to get a tennis scholarship to a Division II college.

2018: Two Finals in 2018

In 2018, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep had two big matches, both of which were three-set finals, including the French Open final and the Canadian Open final.

2018: Premier Mandatory Title and WTA Finals

In 2018, Sloane Stephens continued her success by winning her first Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open, reaching a second major final at the French Open, entering the top 10 for the first time, and finishing runner-up at the WTA Finals.

2018: Continues with Philadelphia Freedoms

In 2018, Sloane Stephens continued playing with the Philadelphia Freedoms in the World TeamTennis league.

2018: French Open Semifinal Victory Against Keys

In 2018, Sloane Stephens won against Madison Keys in the semifinals of the French Open to reach her second Grand Slam singles final.

2018: Won first Premier Mandatory title

In 2018, Sloane Stephens won her first Premier Mandatory title and reached a new career-high ranking at No. 3 in the world. She also split with Murray during the 2018 offseason before reuniting with him in August 2019.

2018: Last Final and Title Since 2018

In February, Stephens competed at the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara, Mexico, it was her first final and title since 2018.

2018: Signed with Nike

In early 2018 Sloane Stephens signed with Nike.

2018: Loss of WTA Finals Rankings Points

Near the end of the 2018 season, Sloane Stephens fell out of the top 20 upon losing her 2018 WTA Finals rankings points.

August 2019: Reunited with Kamau Murray

In August 2019, Sloane Stephens reunited with Kamau Murray shortly before the US Open, after having split with him during the 2018 offseason. She had worked with Sven Groeneveld for three months in Murray's absence.

2019: First Time in Quarterfinals Since 2019

At the 2019 French Open, Sloane Stephens reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.

2019: First Loss to Madison Keys

In 2019, Madison Keys defeated Sloane Stephens for the first time in the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open.

2019: Madison Keys 2019 Champion

In 2019, Madison Keys was the Charleston Open champion.

2019: Joins New York Empire

In 2019, Sloane Stephens played with the New York Empire in the World TeamTennis league.

2020: Joining Chicago Smash

In 2020, it was announced that Sloane Stephens would be joining the Chicago Smash for their debut season in the World TeamTennis league.

2021: Wore all-black outfit at French Open

At the 2021 French Open, Sloane Stephens wore a striking all-black outfit, despite the heat.

2021: Matches Against Madison Keys

In 2021, Sloane Stephens avenged her Charleston Open defeat by beating Madison Keys, but Keys prevailed at the Italian Open a month later, then Sloane prevailed at the US Open.

2021: Split with Kamau Murray

In 2021, Sloane Stephens split with Kamau Murray before the Miami Open and began working with ATP tennis player Darian King, who is also her practice partner.