For eleven months a foot injury kept Sloane Stephens off the court. In her fifth tournament back she won the 2017 US Open, beating Madison Keys in the final without breaking stride. It was the first of 1 Grand Slam title, and it turned an American who had always moved like water into a champion. Speed and defence were her signature: balls that looked like winners came back, and rallies she had no business staying in stretched until the other player blinked.
The next season carried her higher still. She reached the 2018 Roland Garros final, a set and a break to the good before Simona Halep turned it around, and that July she climbed to a career-high No. 3. Around that peak sit 8 career titles and long, tangled duels with rivals like Victoria Azarenka. Stephens never chased the game; she waited for it, and made the waiting look easy.
Five hundred and eighty. That is the ranking of Thea Frodin, the wildcard who opens the US Open against second seed Elena Rybakina. The women's singles draw was made today, ahead of the tournament's start on 30 August, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and defending champion, opening against Camila Osorio.
Draw tale