American star Sloane Stephens took on Czech tennis player Karolina Muchova in the third round of the French Open 2021. It was their first meeting, meaning both players were unfamiliar with each other’s game.
Ultimately, it was the American who came out on top, winning the match 6-3 7-5, which lasted for close to two hours.
Set 1: Sloane Stephens proves too heavy for the 18th seed
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As the match began, both players held their service games. However, it was Sloane Stephens that was on the move and broke her opponent in the fourth game of the set.
In the end, the one break was enough to help the American player get the advantage over Karolina Muchova. After 46minutes into the match, the former World No. 3 held her serve to clinch the opening set.
During the set, Muchova was forced into committing errors as her opponent was striking the ball really well. Stephens won 34 points, whereas the Czech player won 28 points.
Set 2: Karolina Muchova fails to match Sloane Stephens’s intensity
As the set began, Sloane was riding high on momentum and broke Karolina in the very first game. She consolidated the break by holding her serve, putting herself in a comfortable position.
In the fourth game, Muchova saw an opportunity and broke right back to level proceedings. In the sixth game, the American player held her serve after a tough battle.
In the next couple of games, both players exchanged breaks and the match was getting interesting. Both players had stepped upped the ante as it was becoming difficult to hold serve with each game passing by. After getting the third break of the set, Stephens served for the set and sealed the win at 7-5.
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The American star will now face the winner of the match between Barbora Krejcikova and Elina Svitolina for a place in the quarterfinals at the French Open 2021.
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Cool customer 😎@SloaneStephens is off to a flying start on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The 2018 finalist takes the first set over Muchova 6-3. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/7KDQbkKGur
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— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2021