Australian Open 2013 - Stephens stuns Williams

A delighted Stephens celebrates her greatest victory

Australian Open 2013 Day 10 - Stephens stuns Williams

Day 10 of the 2013 Australian Open Championships was certainly an eventful one in Melbourne. 

Roger Federer had to fight past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five enthralling sets to set up a much anticipated semi-final against US Open Champion Andy Murray who looked superb in comfortably dispatching Jeremy Chardy.

Svetlana Kuznetsova looked back to her very best as led initially led reigning champion Victoria Azarenka 4-1 in a marathon opening set before the Belarusian recovered to move through 7-5, 6-1.

However the big story - and one that will be talked about all year - was the seismic shock of red hot tournament favourite Serena Williams falling in a dramatic three set quarter final to her 19 year-old compatriot Sloane Stephens.

Not to take anything away from the very promising Stephens - who kept her nerve admirably and displayed impressive courage at the crucial moments - but this was not the Williams who swept all before her for the latter half of 2012. 

This was the return of the imposter; the nervy scratchy Williams who fell to Razzano in the first round of last year's French Open. 

True a back spasm in the second set did have a major impact on the fifteen-time major winner and the right ankle she re-injured in her opening round match was possibly causing her more problems than it was apparent but nevertheless Williams began the match in the strangest of ways.

This was a Grand Slam quarter final but the first set had less intensity than a hit between two friends at a local park.  Williams looked disinterested and could not have put in less effort as Stephens held her opening three service games to love.

The third seed appeared to raise her effort level slightly and broke Stephens in the eighth game and duly served out the set.  She had struck just 3 winners to 10 unforced errors.  This was Williams operating at perhaps 15%.

When the five-time champion broke Stephens to start the the second set and opened a 2-0 lead it appeared her form was beginning to return and the youngster was starting to look overawed in her first major quarter final.



Williams' frustration was clear for all to see

At this key juncture Stephens displayed the form that had got this far, and will enter the top 20 next week, and came alive to make the match competitive. 

Her groundstrokes improved and she broke back in the fourth game and moved ahead 3-2.

The match had a different, and more competitive, complexion. The Stephens forehand was now going toe to toe with Williams and the anticipated contest between the teenager and the veteran got going.  

Suddenly in the eighth game Williams appeared to jar her back running in for a short ball. The pace duly fell off her legendary serve and Stephens broke to lead 5-3.

The 29th seed appeared to be distracted and possibly overwhelmed by the moment as she missed a set point and Williams broke back and called for the trainer.

When the older American somehow managed to level and held a break point in the eleventh game a Williams victory still looked likely.  Stephens however dug in to hold and then, in another tight game, broke Williams to level the contest.

The velocity of Serena's serve was beginning to return in the third set and yet she was nowhere near the level that destroyed her fourth round opponent Maria Kirilenko.  Her frustrations boiled over early in the set and a racket was decimated earning her a code violation. 

However it was Williams who got the first break of the decider in the seventh game to go ahead 4-3 and it looked for a moment that she might still move through to the semi-finals.

It was here that Stephens really showed her mettle.  The youngster broke straight back and then fended off break points in the ninth game with some fabulous hitting including a fearless forehand winner clubbed down the line. 

In these closing stages Williams looked too careful, too tentative and the 19 year-old took advantage to move ahead 5-4.

Williams congratulates her younger compatriot

Stephens did not have to do too much more than be solid in the final game as a string of errors came off the Williams racket. 

On match point Williams limply hit into the net and Stephens had triumphed over the former World No.1 in two hours and 17 minutes.

For Stephens then a first Grand Slam semi-final to look forward to, the first of what will surely be many, and for Williams just thoughts of what might have been.

All of a sudden all talk of a possible calendar year Grand Slam was off, thoughts of the Serena Slam Part II gone.

A return to the No.1 ranking for the American is still possible - depending on the results of Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova - but certainly the title hopes of those two players and Li Na had just improved considerably.

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