Stephens, who ousted Williams 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam final, says it took extreme hard work to beat the former World No. 1
USA's Sloane Stephens celebrates a point against compatriot Venus Williams during their US Open semi-finals on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Sloane Stephens, who missed 11 months with a left foot injury before returning in July, reached her first Grand Slam final by outlasting Venus Williams 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 yesterday at the US Open.
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Stephens, whose best prior Slam run was to the 2013 Australian Open semi-finals, will play compatriot Madison Keys today for a top prize of $3.7 million (3.07 million euros). "I just worked my tail off and tried to run every ball down and here we are," Stephens said. "It required a lot of fight and a lot of grit."
American Venus Williams
'Incredible feeling'
Ousting a seven-time Grand Slam champion who was seeking her first US Open final since 2002 left Stephens stunned. "I have no words to describe what I'm feeling, what it took to get here, the journey I've been on," Stephens said. "It's incredible. I don't know how I got here. It's just hard work. That's it."
Now 83rd, Stephens is the lowest ranked Slam finalist since unranked Justine Henin at the 2010 Australian Open and the lowest at the US Open since unranked Kim Clijsters won the 2009 title.
Keys routs Vandeweghe
Meanwhile, Keys, who had left wrist surgery for the second time in 10 months, routed compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 to complete the first all-American US Open final since Serena Williams beat sister Venus in 2002.
"It still doesn't feel real. I'm still shaking," Keys said. "I played pretty well. There's a lot of things in my head right now so I'm struggling to come up with words. I knew I had to rise to the occasion. I'm just happy to be in the final."
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