Aryna Sabalenka vs. Sloane Stephens
Sabalenka, 26, and Stephens, 31, aren’t all that far apart in age, but this feels like a match between Grand Slam champs from two different generations. A decade ago, Stephens made her name at this tournament by beating Serena Williams and losing a controversial semifinal to Victoria Azarenka. Now she’s ranked 66th, and may be first-round fodder for Sabalenka, the WTA’s star of the moment.
Sabalenka leads their head to head 4-0; even when Stephens was the higher-ranked player, she couldn’t get a win over her. But she did make the matches close. Three of their meetings have gone to a third set, and the most recent, two years ago at Roland Garros, was 7-6, 6-4. Which makes sense, because Sloane’s game should be one that annoys Sabalenka. She runs and defends and makes her opponents hit the extra ball to beat her. Sabalenka, like all power players, wants to end rallies with having to do anything extra.
At this point, though, Stephens probably can’t run and defend the way she once did; she has played two matches this season, and lost both. Sabalenka, meanwhile, is at the peak of her powers; she’s played five matches in 2025 and won them all. Winner: Sabalenka
