Serena Williams overcame a distinctly average opening set to book a French Open quarterfinal spot at the expense of Sloane Stephens. The world No. 1 lacked drive and aggression early on and quickly found herself behind, but a stunning backhand in the middle of the second seemed to be a spark.
Williams' first break duly followed on her way to leveling the match, and although she was far from her best Monday, there were glimpses of magic as she prevailed 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
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Williams was out of sorts from the outset and Stephens capitalized to devastating effect, breaking in the first game as her fellow American fired a forehand into the net.
A similar mistake nearly cost Williams again in the third, but this time she was able to recover and hold, getting herself on the board.
However, errors littered the top seed's play on both sides, while her serve lacked its normal venom. As Williams' backhand continued to be wayward, Stephens' was superb, forcing errors and landing out of her reach as she set up a second break.
A double fault from Williams gave Stephens a 4-1 lead, and that quickly became 5-1 as frustration began to affect Williams, with two more backhands from Stephens sealing the set in 23 minutes.
The second had a much calmer start for Williams, but Stephens was still able to find winners, keeping her in the set and believing that a shock could be on the cards.
A brilliant backhand from Williams seemed to lift her game. Williams showed her quality in the decider as she continued to battle against her own game, finding crucial aces to save break points and pressuring Stephens serve.
She claimed the decisive break in the fifth, wasting her first chance before Stephens lashed a forehand into the net, an advantage she never gave up as she advanced a last-eight clash with Sara Errani.