Stephens routs Keys to win US Open

Sloane Stephens is a US Open champion.

The 24-year-old American won the title in Flushing Meadows in convincing fashion on Saturday, beating countrywoman Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 in just 59 minutes.

In what was the first Grand Slam final for both players, Stephens came in with a rock-solid game plan and was never pushed outside her comfort zone. Part of the reason may have been that Keys - who'd taken a medical timeout during her semifinal win on Thursday, and had her thigh heavily taped for the final - was too hobbled to find a rhythm.

Keys thrives on playing hyper-aggressive power tennis, but her timing was off all match, and she couldn't find the court with nearly enough consistency. She moved sluggishly, mishit returns, duffed volleys, and sprayed groundstrokes from both sides.

Stephens, though, had a big hand in junking up Keys' rhythm and forcing those mistakes. She was unflappable from the baseline, and kept Keys on the move by changing the direction of the ball and mixing up the pace. She cracked deep forehands down the middle, backhands up the line, approach shots into the corners. She made just six unforced errors in the match, and saved the only three break points she faced. Keys, by comparison, made 29 unforced errors, along with 10 forced errors, off the ground.

After the last of those errors found the net on Stephens' third match point, the two close friends and compatriots embraced warmly at the net.

"Obviously I didn't play my best," Keys said during the trophy ceremony. "But if there's someone I had to lose to today, I'm glad it's her."

For Stephens, the maiden Slam title is the culmination of an incredible comeback. She missed 11 months with a stress fracture in her left foot, and subsequent surgery and rehab, returning to the tour at Wimbledon with a ranking of 957th in the world. But she's unlocked a new gear since then, and summoned the best tennis of her life. She made the first two Premier semifinals of her career back-to-back, in Toronto and Cincinnati, before taking New York by storm. She's projected to rise to No. 17 in the world on Monday.

"I should just retire now," Stephens joked in her championship speech. "I told Maddie I'm never going to be able to top this. I mean, talk about a comeback."

Indeed.