In the most unlikely upset, 19-year-old Sloane Stephens, rallied to defeat No. 3 seed, Serena Williams, 31. Williams was considered the favorite in the Australian Open, and rightfully so.
At age 31, Williams is still at the top of her game, coming off of last season's spectacular wins, at Wimbledon, Olympic and the US Open. Stephens outshines Williams, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, and will continue on to face No.1 seed, Victoria Azarenka, in the semifinals.
Reportedly, the 29th-seeded Stephens, has surpassed her own fourth round elimination record, in moving forward in the Grand Slam tournament. Stephens admits that Williams is a role model to her. The 19-year-old is said to have a poster of Serena Williams on her wall.
Jan. 23, New York Times reports, “This is so crazy, but oh my goodness,” Stephens said, wiping away tears in her post-match interview. “I think I’ll put a poster of myself now.” Stephens said she felt good about her chances before the match began.
“Last night I was thinking about it,” she said. “And someone asked me, ‘Do you think you can win?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I think so.’ But I wasn’t too clear about it, and this morning when I got up, I was like, ‘Dude, you can do this. Go out and play and do your best."
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