Sloane Stephens' Deep Wimbledon Run Must be Considered a Success

While the immediate feeling following Sloane Stephens' straight-sets loss in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon this summer is disappointment, the emerging star's overall performance on the grass in London has to be considered a colossal success.

Despite how dominant top-ranked American female Serena Williams has been over the past year, it's far too early to hold Stephens to those same standards.

After all, the 20-year-old was making just her second career appearance in the main draw at the All England Club this summer, after reaching the third round in 2012 as a teenager.

On top of that, Stephens managed to survive the draw longer than Williams, world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka and 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova. 

Following her run to the quarters in 2013, Stephens has now reached the round of 16 at each of this season's three majors, including a semifinal berth at the Australian Open back in January.

But as far as Wimbledon is concerned, there are plenty of good things for Stephens to take away as she gears up for the summer hard-court season. While her serve was incredibly inconsistent in the second set of Tuesday's quarterfinal loss to Marion Bartoli, she showed tremendous toughness and skill to rally in the second set, breaking Bartoli back nearly each time she lost her serve (via Wimbledon Twitter account): 

And while Bartoli was far from an unbeatable opponent, she's a much more mature player, and one who has tasted the big moment at the All England Club before, reaching the Wimbledon final in 2007.

Plus, Stephens is still ascending and has not yet reached her full potential. She went 2-2 in Grand Slam matches in 2011, 8-4 at majors in 2012 and is 12-3 in Grand Slam play this year with the U.S. Open still left to play. 

Even more encouraging, her game has translated to every surface thanks to a monster forehand and a steady two-handed backhand. In addition, Stephens' athleticism and fitness are topflight. 

With more big-time matches under her belt and difficult lessons learned, she'll be an even greater threat at Wimbledon a year from now.

Though you never want to miss out on an opportunity to win a Grand Slam when you reach the second week, Stephens is only going to come back a better player and most importantly, a more experienced competitor.

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