Sloane Stephens sets up test of Serena William's mentoring
American pair meet in the quarter-finals
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The mentor will take on the mentored when Serena Williams faces Sloane Stephens in the quarter- finals of the Australian Open here tomorrow. The 15-times Grand Slam champion has taken her fellow black American under her wing in recent years. Williams won in straight sets when they met in competition for the first time in Brisbane earlier this month.
Stephens, who beat Laura Robson in the third round, advanced to her first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory yesterday over Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski. Williams, who is the favourite to win the title, enjoyed a smoother passage, beating Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-0 in just 57 minutes.
Williams was asked whether it was correct to describe her as a mentor to 19-year-old Stephens. "I don't know," Williams said. "I would need a better definition of the word 'mentor'. I just feel like being the older one. Maybe some of the younger players look up to me. It's interesting. It's hard to be a real mentor when you're still in competition, so I think it's a little bit of everything."
Did she feel any responsibility towards Stephens? "No. I feel no responsibility. I doubt she has any expectations of me to be responsible for anything. Maybe she does. I don't know."
Williams said she had first noticed Stephens four years ago. "I saw her in the locker room," Williams said. "She was another black girl. I was like: 'Hey!' That's when I first noticed her. 'What up, girl?'
"I feel like for me it will be another good match and a good opportunity for both of us."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments