Sloane Stephens has returned to winning ways after missing Wimbledon this year.
Stephens is a former US Open champion, having won her first Grand Slam title at the 2017 tournament after beating Madison Keys in the final.
The American has achieved more success since then, including reaching the French Open final in 2018, but Stephens has struggled to find form in recent years.
After suffering a foot injury and going on a 13-match losing streak, Stephens dropped down the rankings and has played few tournaments in 2026, but she is now back at a tournament.
Sloane Stephens wins her first match since Roland Garros qualifying
Stephens had only won nine matches this year after returning to the WTA Tour from her foot injury.
Six of these victories had come in Grand Slam qualifying, with Stephens progressing to the main draw of both the Australian Open and the French Open.
However, Stephens, who is currently the world number 313, did not play in Wimbledon qualifying and had last competed in her first round defeat in the main draw of the French Open, where she was beaten by Sara Bejlek.
Stephens has now made her return at the ITF 100k event in Evansville, Indiana, after receiving a wildcard for the lower-level tournament.
The former world number three has made a positive start to her comeback, with Stephens beating world number 396 Boyoung Jeong 6-4, 6-2 to claim her first victory in two months.
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Stephens will now progress to the second round of the tournament in Evansville, where she will come up against a familiar face in top seed Renata Zarazua.
This will be the fourth time that Stephens has played Zarazua, and the third time just this year.
Stephens will be hoping for a different outcome from those three previous meetings, where she has won just one set.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2020 | Mexican Open (R32) | Zarazua beat Stephens, 6-4 6-2 |
| 2026 | ASB Classic – Auckland (R32) | Zarazua beat Stephens, 7-5 4-6 6-2 |
| 2026 | Charleston Open (R64) | Zarazua beat Stephens, 6-2 6-0 |
Having returned to action on the North American hard courts, Stephens appears to be gearing up for the US Open this year.
However, due to her current ranking, former champion Stephens will require a wildcard if she wants to play in either the main draw or qualifying at the tournament she won eight years ago.
