WIMBLEDON, England — Competing for the first time in 11 months, Sloane Stephens had an unfortunate draw for her opening match at Wimbledon on Tuesday: Alison Riske, a fellow American who is most comfortable on English lawns.
Riske, who is ranked 46th in the world, quickly ended the first stage of Stephens’s comeback from a foot injury with a 6-2, 7-5 win.
“Obviously, it’s a big task to play Ali in the first round,” said Stephens, 24, who has not competed since a first-round loss to Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last summer.