Stevens happened to meet Sabalenka in the first round of last year’s Australian Open / Getty Images Korea
Sloan Stevens (USA, 1097th), who won the 2017 US Open, won the first round of the 2026 Australian Open preliminary round. For a veteran who has already turned 32, a victory in the first round of a Grand Slam qualifier may not be considered a big topic, but looking at Stevens’ recent performance, the situation is understandable. This is because Stevens was on a 13-game losing streak in official matches. There has been no victory for the past year and six months. However, since the preliminaries of the tournament are not included in the game results, it cannot be said that the losing streak has officially stopped.
Stevens defeated Barbora Palikova (Czech Republic) 6-1 7-5 in the first round of the Australian Open preliminaries held on the 12th. Stevens, whose world ranking fell to 1097th, was able to participate in this preliminary round using the special ranking, and eventually won in the first round of the preliminary round.
Stevens tasted victory for the first time in 1 year and 7 months. Stevens’ last win was in the first round of Wimbledon in July 2024. Since then, he has been on a 13-game losing streak since the second round of Wimbledon. Last season, he was away on tour for about six months due to a foot injury, so he only played in five games. But even this was all lost.
Although he won the first round of the preliminary round, the preliminary round is not included in the official records. Stevens’ 13-game losing streak is still ongoing. Stevens must be satisfied with having regained his sense of victory for the first time in a long time.
Stevens will face Olivia Gadeki (Australia) in the second round of the preliminary round. Stevens and Kadeki have faced each other three times in 2024, with Kadeki showing an advantage of 2 wins and 1 loss.
Stevens’ 13 consecutive losses include a loss to Gadeki (first round in Guadalajara, Mexico, 2024).
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