Stephens downs Osaka

SINGAPORE: A confident Sloane Stephens stormed to victory with a commanding third set performance against Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka as the upsets continued at the WTA Finals in Singapore. In an unpredictable encounter, the American overcame a second set stutter to dominate the decider and triumph 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Before Monday, Osaka had won 14 of her previous 16 matches to be the in-form player coming into the season-finale. But the third seed was wildly inconsistent in the Red Group opener with 46 unforced errors and was broken three times in a third set meltdown. “I competed really well and I knew I had to play good tennis to beat her,” Stephens, the fifth seed, said after the match. “I just stayed tough and took my opportunities.”It was a much-anticipated showdown between the past two US Open champions, who were making their WTA Finals debuts.