Risa Ozaki needed just 58 minutes to knock off defending Citi Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the second round.
Ozaki wins last six games of the second set after falling behind an early break
Stephens got off to a bright start, breaking Ozaki in the very first service game. After consolidating that break, it was the last game Stephens would win. Ozaki broke back after Stephens wasted a 40-30 lead on her own serve to level the set at two-all. She broke again, this time to 15 to take a 4-2 lead. She concluded her fine run with another break, again coming from behind but this time, Stephens let a 30-0 lead slip, and Ozaki took the set 6-2 in just 26 minutes, with the defending champion left wondering what had just happened.
Ozaki loses just one game in the second set en route to round two
Ozaki kept her momentum going as she saved a break point in her opening service game of the second set, lasting 10 points and then broke Stephens in another long game, this one also spanning 10 points, as well for a 2-0 lead. The defending champion was on the ropes and although she settled down, it would do her no good as she not only was failing to make an impression on Ozaki's serve, but the Japanese got an insurance break in the sixth game to take a 5-1 lead. With little resistance, Ozaki served out the set and the match to 30, winning it 6-1 in just 33 minutes and securing the biggest win of her career.
By the numbers
Ozaki was proficient on break points, converting on five of her seven chances whereas Stephens was just one of three, two of those chances coming in the first game of the match and the third coming in the first game of the second set. She also won 58 total points to Stephens' 35 while getting in 79% of her first serves (38 of 48). Another key factor was Stephens' inability to win second serve points (25%: just 3 of 12). Ozaki's win sets up a second-round clash with Brit Naomi Broady, who saw off Irina Falconi in straight sets earlier in the day, 6-3, 6-4.
Stephens assesses her performance
After the match, a very frank Stephens talked about her dreadful display: "I just played real bad. Nothing more, nothing less," Stephens assessed after the match. "Today just sucked, it was just one of those days where everything was really bad. Obviously, I'm not the first person to have a bad day and I won't be the last. Hopefully, I can pull myself together and next week will be better than this week. I won't look too deep into this."