Sloane Stephens' Breakout Performance at Wimbledon a Sign of Things to Come

In a tournament filled with upsets, Sloane Stephens' breakout performance at Wimbledon 2013 will be the turning point of her career.

Stephens (USA) has already defeated Serena Williams (USA) at a Grand Slam this year. While, the youngster may have taken down the top-ranked player in the world, she had yet to have a great showing at a major tournament.Ky

The Australian Open was the site of Stephens' greatest victory to date, and it is the only Grand Slam in which she made it to the semifinals.

Now in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, Stephens is in the process of becoming a star. 

A victory over No. 15 Marion Bartoli (FRA) would put Stephens in the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the second time this year and give her a chance to get her first major victory.

The 20-year-old is one of the future stars of tennis. Williams is 31 years old, and the sport needs new blood to come through and challenge the established players.

At No. 17, Stephens is slowly working her way up the rankings. She isn't ready to dominate the sport, but she is making her mark right now.

She is expected to face opponents who are ranked higher than her the rest of the way—if she were to continue to win.

This year's Wimbledon will be her best shot at getting her first Grand Slam title. Williams, Victoria Azarenka (BLR), Maria Sharapova (RUS) and Sara Errani (ITA) are all out of the field.

With a weakened field, the 20-year-old will be able to face tough competition but not the best.

It doesn't matter who she has to face. Getting a Wimbledon title would announce to the world that she has arrived and will be a star for years to come.  

The American will have to beat high seeds, but she has the talent to make a deep run. With the way this tournament has gone so far, there's a chance a few of the high seeds get knocked off and make it easier for Stephens to win the tournament. 

She has been competing in Grand Slams since 2010, but she has never made it to the finals. Although she has a legitimate chance to win the tournament this year, making it to the finals would be a good sign.

Stephens has had her struggles in the tournament but has managed to advance after each round. She has now gone deeper into more Grand Slams this year than Williams has. It's not fair to compare the two at this point in Stephens' career, but she has been impressive this year.

Holding up the trophy at the end of the weekend would solidify Stephens' status as a star, but Wimbledon will be remembered as the breakout tournament of her career.

*All stats are courtesy of WTATennis.com