History of Sloane Stephens in Timeline

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

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1981: All-American Semifinals

In 1981, Sloane Stephens defeated No. 17 Anastasija Sevastova to set up the first all-American semifinals at the US Open since 1981.

1985: All-American Semifinals

In 1985, Sloane Stephens defeated No. 17 Anastasija Sevastova to set up the first all-American semifinals at a major since Wimbledon in 1985

March 20, 1993: Sloane Stephens Born

On March 20, 1993, Sloane Stephens, the American professional tennis player, was born.

Others born on this day/year

1994: Father Leaves Family

In 1994, Sloane Stephens' father left the family after multiple arrests.

1995: Historical Reference to Morariu and Varmužová

In 1995, Corina Morariu and Ludmila Varmužová became only the first pair of girls to win three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles in one season, a feat matched by Stephens and Babos in 2010.

1997: Mother Remarries

In 1997, Sloane Stephens' mother, Smith, married Sheldon Farrell, who became her stepfather.

1998: American Woman Win US Open

In 1998, Stephens became the first American woman other than the Williams sisters to win a major title since Lindsay Davenport won the US Open in 1998.

2000: United States Wins Fed Cup

In 2000, the United States won the Fed Cup, marking their first title since 2000.

2002: American Woman Win US Open

In 2002, 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.

2002: First All-American Semifinal Since 2002

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

2006: Top 5 Ranking

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: Stepfather's Death

In 2007, Sloane Stephens' stepfather, Sheldon Farrell, died from cancer.

2007: First Professional Events

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

2008: Miami Open Qualifying

In 2008, Sloane Stephens played at the Miami Open since but continued to lose in the qualifying rounds.

2008: US Open Doubles Final

In 2008, Sloane Stephens reached her first doubles final at a Grand Slam event at the US Open 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 with Christina McHale.

2009: Began coaching with Roger Smith

In 2009, Roger Smith began coaching Sloane Stephens and worked with her for several years, helping her become a top-ranked junior and crack the top 100 of the WTA rankings.

2009: First World TeamTennis Season

In 2009, Sloane Stephens debuted in World TeamTennis 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 after a strong junior season.

2009: Junior Tournament Wins

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.

2009: Biological Father's Death

In 2009, Sloane Stephens' biological father died in a car crash.

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 and winning her first career main-draw match before losing to Vera Zvonareva.

2010: Junior Grand Slam Events

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

2010: Junior Doubles Titles

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

2010: Under Armour Clothing Sponsor

In 2010, Sloane Stephens' clothing sponsor was Under Armour.

2011: WTA Ranking 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, reaching a career-best No. 128 in the world. She also reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal at the Southern California Open and the third round of the US Open, debuting in the top 100.

2011: Loss to Player Outside Top 200

In 2011, at the Adelaide International, Sloane Stephens experienced her first loss to a player outside the top 200 since 2011, being defeated by Arina Rodionova.

June 2012: Switched coaches to David Nainkin

In June 2012, Sloane Stephens switched coaches to David Nainkin in order to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. Although her ranking was high enough to qualify, she narrowly missed out on that goal as she was the fifth-highest ranked American.

2012: First Encounter with Halep

In 2012, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep had their first encounter at the Barcelona Ladies Open, which Halep won.

2012: End of Grand Slam Streak

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

2013: First Major Quarterfinal Since Wimbledon 2013

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

2013: Breakthrough at Australian Open, career-best ranking

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

2013: Victory Against Serena Williams

In 2013, Sloane Stephens secured her only victory against Serena Williams at the Australian Open, which garnered international attention and put her on the cusp of cracking the top 10 of the WTA rankings later in the season.

2013: Cincinnati Open Upset and US Open Performance

In 2013, Sloane Stephens upset Maria Sharapova at the Cincinnati Open but lost in the next round. At the US Open, she faced Serena Williams, who avenged her Australian Open loss and won the tournament. Stephens finished the year at world No. 12.

2013: 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: Strained Relationship

In 2013, Sloane Stephens' relationship with Serena Williams became strained after their match at the Australian Open. Serena commented "I made you" in a tweet.

2013: Australian Open Semifinal

In 2013, at the age of 19, Sloane Stephens gained prominence at the Australian Open with a semifinal run, defeating world No. 3, Serena Williams.

2013: Fed Cup Debut

In late April 2013, Sloane Stephens made her Fed Cup debut in an away playoff tie against Ukraine, winning a doubles match with Liezel Huber.

2014: Halep Enters Top Ten

In 2014, Simona Halep entered the top ten in rankings after Sloane Stephens beat her.

2014: Hopman Cup and Australian Open

In 2014, Sloane Stephens began the year at the Hopman Cup with John Isner and reached the fourth round of the Australian Open.

2014: World TeamTennis Season

In 2014, Sloane Stephens had a season with the Washington Kastles in World TeamTennis.

2014: Australian Open

In 2014, Sloane Stephens secured her first match wins at the Australian Open since 2014.

2014: Fed Cup Playoff Tie

In April 2014, Sloane Stephens participated in the Fed Cup playoff tie, losing her match against Sofia Arvidsson.

2014: Briefly worked with Thomas Hogstedt

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

2014: Split with Paul Annacone

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

2015: First Meeting

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

2015: Losses to Serena Williams

In 2015, Sloane Stephens lost to Serena Williams at the Indian Wells Open and the French Open, despite winning the first set in both instances.

2015: Returned to Nick Saviano, then replaced him with Kamau Murray

In 2015, Sloane Stephens returned to her longtime junior coach, Nick Saviano, and won her first WTA title. Later, in the 2015 offseason, she replaced him with Kamau Murray.

2016: Rio Olympics and Foot Injury

In 2016, Sloane Stephens competed in the Rio Olympics, losing in the first round and later revealing a foot injury that would require surgery, sidelining her for several months.

2016: Coaching Change and WTA Titles

In 2016, Sloane Stephens switched to a new coach, Kamau Murray, leading to her return to elite level and winning three WTA titles in the first half of the year, before an injury cut her season short.

2016: US Open Loss

In 2016, Sloane Stephens was defeated in the third round of the US Open by Angelique Kerber.

2016: Won three titles with Kamau Murray

In 2016, Sloane Stephens, coached by Kamau Murray, won three titles.

2017: Kim Clijsters congratulated Stephens after US Open title

In 2017, Kim Clijsters congratulated Sloane Stephens in person after her US Open title. Stephens was a fan of Clijsters growing up.

2017: US Open Victory

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

2017: World TeamTennis Season

In 2017, Sloane Stephens had a season with the Philadelphia Freedoms in World TeamTennis.

2017: Comeback and US Open Win

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

2017: Won first major at US Open

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

2017: Graduated from Indiana University East

In late 2017, Sloane Stephens graduated from Indiana University East with a bachelor's degree in communications studies, finishing her degree while recovering from foot surgery earlier in the year.

2017: Recalled mother's support after US Open win

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

2018: Rivalry with Halep

In 2018, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep built a rivalry centered around their highest profile matches. Chris Evert praised their rivalry, noting the contrast in personalities and styles.

2018: Biggest Matches Against Halep

In 2018, Sloane Stephens and Simona Halep faced each other in two major finals. Halep won the French Open final, securing her first Grand Slam title, and then won the final at the Canadian Open.

2018: Ranking Points Near End of Season

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

2018: World TeamTennis Season

In 2018, Sloane Stephens had a season with the Philadelphia Freedoms in World TeamTennis.

2018: French Open Semifinal Victory

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, split with Murray

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 coach Kamau Murray during the 2018 offseason.

2018: Miami Open Win and French Open Final

In 2018, Sloane Stephens won her first Premier Mandatory title at the Miami Open, reached the French Open final, entered the top 10, and was runner-up at the WTA Finals.

2018: First Title and Final Since 2018

In 2018, Sloane Stephens won her seventh WTA singles title at the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara, Mexico, marking her first final and title since 2018.

August 2019: Reunited with Kamau Murray

In August 2019, Sloane Stephens reunited with Kamau Murray shortly before the US Open, after Murray's absence during which she worked with Sven Groeneveld for three months.

2019: First Defeat

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

2019: World TeamTennis Season

In 2019, Sloane Stephens had a season with the New York Empire in World TeamTennis.

2019: Upset at Charleston Open

In 2019, Sloane Stephens upset Madison Keys, at the Charleston Open in the second round.

2019: Reached Quarterfinals Since 2019

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

2019: 2019 Season Struggles

Throughout the 2019 season, Sloane Stephens struggled to match her best performances at Grand Slam tournaments, although she remained in the top 10 for the majority of the year due to ranking points from the previous year's WTA Finals. She reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, the third round at Wimbledon, and the quarterfinals at the French Open.

December 2020: Received MBA from DeVry University

In December 2020, Sloane Stephens received a Master of Business Administration degree from DeVry University.

2020: 2020 Season Start

In 2020, Sloane Stephens began her season at the Brisbane International, where she lost in the first round. She was also defeated in the first round of the Adelaide International and the Australian Open.

2020: Match Against Serena Williams

In 2020, Stephens played a match against Serena Williams.

2020: Joins Chicago Smash

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

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: Split with Kamau Murray, working with Darian King

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

2021: Matches in 2021

In 2021, Stephens avenged her Charleston Open defeat in 2021, beating Keys in straight sets in the 2nd round. But Keys prevailed at the 2021 Italian Open a month later. They played for a third time in 2021 at the US Open and Sloane prevailed in a third set tiebreak.

January 1, 2022: Married Jozy Altidore

On January 1, 2022, Sloane Stephens married United States national soccer team player Jozy Altidore, who was also one of her childhood friends in Florida.