MELBOURNE, Australia — Sloane Stephens figures she's got plenty more Grand Slams ahead of her to improve upon her performance at this year's Australian Open.
The 2013 semifinalist exited in the first round Monday, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Qiang, who is ranked No. 102.
The match started out well for 22-year-old Stephens, seeded 24th, who raced to a 3-1 lead but then lost 10 straight games as she struggled to find momentum and regain focus.
"Today was definitely one of those bad days," Stephens said. "Nothing was going my way. A lot of shots that I'd like to make, that I normally make weren't going in.