Sloane Stephens marks new start with Madrid win over Victoria Azarenka
• Stephens beats Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
• US player working with new coach Sven Groeneveld
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion and world No 8, roused from a mid-match slumber to beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 at the Madrid Open.
Working for the first time with Sven Groeneveld (recently with Yibing Wu and formerly coach to Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova), the American’s first meeting on clay against the two-times Australian Open champion gave her a fourth win over Azarenka in 14 months, the prize a fourth-round meeting with either Saisai Zheng or Alizé Cornet.