Sloane Stephens left the “WTA 250” tournament in Hobart in the opening round, the American was defeated in the tie-break of the decisive set by China’s Yue Yuan.

Sloane StevensPhoto: Dovgan/UK Sports Pics / Sipa Press / Profimedia

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Sloane Stephens defeated by Yue Yuan in a deciding set on a tiebreak

The 2017 US Open champion, Stephens, has not shined in recent seasons and is currently ranked 43rd in the world.

Sloane played Yuan (73 WTA, based on qualification) for almost three hours, and the Chinese athlete won the match 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5).

Know:

  • We will remind, Sloane Stevens also played in the final of Roland Garros-2018, where she was defeated by Simona Halep.
  • In the next round, Yue Yuan will meet the winner of the match between Australia’s Olivia Gadeki (121 WTA) and China’s Xinya Wang (34 WTA, favorite 4).
  • In qualifying for the Australian tournament, Yue defeated Diana Schneider (95 WTA) and Nadiya Podoroska (63 WTA).

The Hobart International will take place from January 8 to 13 on hard, is part of the WTA 250 category, has a total prize money of $267,082, and the champion title is Lauren Davis (2023).

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