Sloane Stephens vs Victoria Azarenka
(USA vs Belarus)
(5'7", 134 lbs vs 6'0", 132 lbs)
Venue: Arthur Ashe Stadium
Location: Queens, New York City, USA

{{{Story based on a real-life tennis match from 2018 US Open third round}}}

BEFORE: Ever since winning the US Open twelve months ago, Sloane Stephens has officially settled as the #1 heir apparent to Serena Williams' USTA throne. Meanwhile former two-time Australian Open winner and world number one Victoria Azarenka has struggled to recover that elite form while battling health and personal issues off the court during the past three plus years. Alas she's always up for the Grand Slam challenge and vows to spoil the American's party courtesy of her high-octane aggressive style that makes her a crowd-favorite among the WTA fanbase.

Sloane Stephens wears an orange sports bra, matching hotpants and white gloves. Long black hair tied in a thick braid. Victoria Azarenka wears a white one-piece swimsuit with black trim and black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Rounds 1 & 2:
Victoria uses the supreme reach to control the early action; she quick-fires the American's high guard and scores several clean punches but lacks the big combo to throw Stephens off her stance. The American's response fails to match the blonde's intensity but the repeated nature of these attacks allows Stephens to rally back into contention when she forces the close range dispute where Azarenka struggles to properly stretch her elbows. This affects the blonde's precision and leaves her frustrated once Sloane drills her mitts into the body to pinch the taller woman onto the ropes. Victoria's counter-punching drive bounces off the guard or cuts thin air as the American shows supreme mobility to impress the New York audience beyond the acceptable noise level.

Round 3:
Azarenka groans through another close range tangle in the early seconds as Stephens' agility neutralizes that high approach and sends the fight into a midriff-busting slugfest along the ropes where the local favorite feels very much at home. The blonde's ribcage takes a proper beating and Victoria gets pinned into the turnbuckle while the American almost head-butts her in the process. Sloane's ultra-effective attacks punish the Belarussian's midsection and clinch is the only answer which rescues the older girl from more trouble. However Sloane keeps her opponent trapped in the corner and when she fakes another swing downstairs, Victoria gets caught out with a quick one-two on the jaw that wobbles her against the turnbuckle amid more spasms. Stephens drills the exposed solar plexus right at the bell which lifts the crowd noise even higher and Sloane punches the air in delight while the slumped Azarenka shakes her head in disbelief.

Round 4:
Victoria scores a couple of quick shots over the top but gets dragged into another close range tangle afterwards and she just doesn't have the mobility of years gone by. She displayed an elite footwork given her six foot frame but she gets bullied around by the pesky Stephens tonight and delays the action with more blatant clinching. That earns her a jeering reward from the audience however Sloane keeps her focus and continues to drill the blonde to the body during the second minute which secures her easy points with the judges. Azarenka manages to smack a proper combo late in the round but Stephens soaks it up like a true champ and laughs out at the gobsmacked opponent who's close to boiling over as she makes some crude gestures towards the crowd once the bell halts the action. Cue in more jeers...

Round 5:
Stephens lights it up early in the fifth with a quick drive to the body that wobbles Azarenka onto her heels and bends her in wake of the American's power rush. Ugh! Sloane thrives on the rampant reaction from the audience and thumps the subdued opponent into the ropes where she overwhelms her with more cruel harpoons around the liver area. Victoria's clinching effort proves futile and she wilts under inside this phone booth so much SHE HAS TO TAKE A KNEE simply to force a brief stoppage in action! Sloane bunny hops around her before struting back to the neutral corner but it seems like she's breaking the blonde's spirit more than her physics here. Azarenka beats the count at seven but remains utterly sluggish and Stephens literally toys with her teasing another downstairs havoc only to riffle a quick shot on the mouth instead. Victoria retreats towards the ropes and forfeits any comeback attempt which only fuels the crowd's cheering.

Round 6:
Azarenka tries to find a potential haymaker but Stephens bends her way around it before upping the tempo and blasting the statesque blonde to the body yet again. Ugh! Victoria misfires from the back foot and yields real estate in a hurry however the American prowl continues until Sloane pins the older girl on the ropes and resumes the familiar drill. Azarenka yelps in pain but still delivers a nasty hook on the ear to briefly halt the defending champion's rout but bounces off the high guard on the follow up and gets wrestled into the turnbuckle instead. Ref breaks the action but Azarenka remains pinned in the corner and eats a nasty hooking bomb on the lips since Stephens suddenly hits the head-hunting mode to catch her rival by surprise. Victoria finds no answers to match this performance and walks slowly to her corner with eyes glued to the canvas.

Round 7:
Stephens bends underneath another hooking approach and connects with the exposed solar plexus on the turn to drop the Belarussian onto her heels, Victoria tries to snatch an overhand into the American's face but skims off the top of the shoulder and eats a thunder on the jaw instead as Sloane cranks it up one more time. She buries a harpoon deep into the blonde's belly and smacks her on the jaw again to send the former AO champion into the ropes... ugh... Azarenka fails to push herself off and gets NAILED with a brutal cross on the nose that drops her mitts alltogether... Stephens drives in with another uppercut AND KNOCKS THE BLONDE DOWN for the second time!!! That was one shot on the jaw too many and Victoria gets wrenched onto her backside... she spits out her gumshield and rests against the ropes unable to fend off the knockout daze anymore... KO7 Sloane Stephens!!!

AFTER: This was a mighty impressive performance from the defending USO champion who bullied the taller opponent to the body all night before cashing in with a versatile switch upstairs. That's the scary part... Stephens can hurt these girls any which way now and that truly justifies her rise into the WTA elite. Meanwhile Azarenka's best days are lost to apparently return no more... the odds are stacked against her making a Top 10 comeback ever again and she might settle for this past-prime elite scalp status on the Next Gen girls' resume going forward. Ouch!

Official result: Sloane Stephens def. Victoria Azarenka KO7.