Does Sloane Stephens' Citi Open Title Make Her a Sleeper at 2015 US Open?

Sloane Stephens captured her first WTA Tour title Sunday at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. Does her first title win make her a serious sleeper at the 2015 U.S. Open?

According to ESPN.com tennis columnist Peter Bodo: "If you were charged with coming up with a compelling spoiler for [Serena] Williams' Grand Slam bid, you could do a lot worse than picking Sloane Stephens."

Stephens defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1, 6-2 in the Citi Open final. During the trophy ceremony, Stephens told fans, according to the Washington Post: "To get to this place, to get to this beautiful trophy, I had to go through a lot. But at the end of the day, it was worth it.”

By a lot, Stephens was probably referring to her humbling descent from No. 11 to outside the top 40. Although only 22, Stephens has endured a steep career-arc the past three years. 

She reached the semifinals at the 2013 Australian Open at age 19 with an upset win over Williams. Crowned the heir apparent to Williams, Stephen became the new "it girl." 

Yet her tennis and temperament seemed unprepared for the media onslaught that would follow.

A one-sided public feud with Williams after her Aussie Open win made Stephens look petty. A dust up with Williams' Twitter followers made her look juvenile. Referring to Williams as "colleague" just before their French Open match seemed sort of civil. 

Stephens appeared to be maturing even as her ranking took a hit. Meanwhile, Madison Keys, Belinda Bencic and Garbine Muguruza had replaced her as buzzworthy rising stars.

The win at the Citi Open marks a change in attitude as much as accomplishment. Prior to the Citi Open, Stephens had reached the semifinals of a WTA tournament seven times, but never had she reached the finals. That those milestones were considered hurdles reflects the high expectations placed on Stephens. 

As Tracy Austin, who provided commentary on the Citi Open match for the Tennis Channel, pointed out, there are hundreds of players on tour who have never won a title and nobody is talking about them because no one expects them to win a title. 

Indeed, few players are quicker or faster than Stephens. She has a serve and forehand that rivals the best. What she lacked was consistency and focus. 

Against Pavlyuchenkova, Stephens showed both. She stayed calm, even after losing her serve. There was variety in her once one-dimensional game. She no longer appeared glued to the baseline.  

What changed? Stephens reconnected with coach Nick Saviano. The two have known each other since Stephens was a girl.

Saviano coached Eugenie Bouchard to the Top 10. He helped Bouchard reach three Slam semifinals and the Wimbledon final in 2014.

Saviano split with Bouchard late in 2014. Meanwhile, Stephens tried working with Paul Annacone and Thomas Hogstedt as coach but continued to struggle. She began working with Saviano in January. 

After losing to Williams at the French Open, Stephens talked with reporters about what it meant to have Saviano back as her coach. 

"

I think even when I wasn't working with Nick I was far away from Nick; I'm in LA, he's in Florida. He always calls, asks how my grandparents are doing. There has never been a time where I have been away from Nick. So I think now physically being with him all the time again is really nice because he understands me, and he's helped me a lot.

"

During a changeover in her semifinal win over Sam Stosur, Saviano told Stephens, according to Adrianna Outlaw of TennisNow: "It's about staying in the moment and playing Sloane Stephens tennis. You're doing great. Be proud of yourself."

That's the type of attitude she'll need to make at run at Flushing Meadows.

Remarkably, despite her lower ranking, Stephens is more consistent this year. She's climbed from No. 43 just after the French Open to No. 29 in singles and to No. 22 in the Road to Singapore. 

Tennis.com's Steve Tignor wrote on Stephens' Citi Open win: "Serena Williams aside, U.S. tennis hasn’t been known for its creativity and versatility in recent years; serve big and hit your forehand bigger has long been the recipe for (moderate) success in the States. But here was Stephens, who can also belt a serve and a forehand, showing us much more." 

Perhaps Stephens has finally grown into her talent. Maybe success came so quickly that she took it for granted.

Between 2013 and 2014, Stephen reached the fourth round or better at six consecutive Grand Slams. 

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Most of last year, Stephens played error-filled matches. Unlike 2013, when she surprised many by her success in Slams, Stephens struggled in the second part of last year. Maria Kirilenko, who had been out of the game for nearly a year, defeated Stephens in the first round at Wimbledon.

After the loss to Kirilenko, Stephens told reporters, according to ESPNW's Melissa Isaacson: "The streak is broken. I'm so sorry to all of you who don't have to write about me this week and next week. I'm so sorry."

Once a media darling, Stephens had become sarcastic in her interviews. Meanwhile, her game is not so sharp. Stephens hit 63 unforced errors in a second-round loss to Johanna Larsson in the U.S. Open.

Yesterday, at the Citi Open, Stephens played with positive energy. She remained determined, even after mistakes. In the past, she might have sulked. 

Not this time. Stephens was focused, feisty and fierce. Is that the new Sloane Stephens tennis?

If Stephens brings that bolder, more aggressive style of tennis to the U.S. Open, she might spoil Williams' run at a Calendar Slam and turn New York City upside down.