MELBOURNE, Australia — Sloane Stephens has certified for the Australian Open, her first main since shedding within the first spherical to top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka at Melbourne Park a 12 months in the past.
The 2017 US Open champion entered the qualifying spherical for the season’s first Grand Slam event ranked 1,097th after an extended restoration from a left foot harm.
She received three straight in qualifying at Melbourne Park and sealed her spot in the primary draw by defeating Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 7-5 within the third spherical on Thursday.
The 32-year-old American reached a career-high rating of third place.
