Stephens hails power of perseverance

The positivity beamed from Stephens’ smile as she sat with press after Saturday’s women showpiece.

The American might have seen her 6-0 unbeaten Tour-level finals record vanish, but Stephens still reflects on a fortnight in Paris with pleasure.

“Obviously being in a Grand Slam final is very special. It's a great opportunity. Not very many players ever get to a Grand Slam final. So the fact that I have won one and been in another final in such a short period of time, I'm very optimistic and very pleased with myself,” declared the US Open champion, who will rise to world No.4 in the fresh rankings on Monday.

“I'm not satisfied, but I am proud of myself: 128 players in the draw, I made it to the last two. That's something to be proud of. It's not always going to be perfect, so you can't really hold your head down.”

The 25-year-old was a metaphorical brick wall in the first set, deflecting and re-directing all Simona Halep clattered over the net to lead by 6-3 2-0. However, the Romanian eventually turned the tide and Stephens had no qualms over the result as runner-up.

“She raised her game, raised her level. Not much you can really do about that. I competed the best I could, and the better player won the match today,” assessed the 10th seed, paying tribute to her triumphant opponent.

“I think she's had a tough journey. I think winning here is very special for her and I'm glad she finally got her first slam. It's a beautiful thing. No matter how hard the adversity that you go through, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm glad she finally got her light.

“It’s a great story and just a great moment for her, and you can only support the other person and be happy for them. Because if it was the other way around, I know that it would be reciprocated.”

There was a charming moment in the trophy presentation, when Stephens prompted the champion to raise her new silverware, the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen, above her shoulders.

“Show the world your trophy. You have been waiting for this. So you better put it up in the air and show them what you got today,” quipped Sloane. “She benefited a lot today, so she should definitely show everybody that she is definitely winning.”

Following her maiden major triumph in New York, the American suffered a barren run of results and had to contend with another stint on the sidelines.

After another memorable Grand Slam journey, Stephens is adamant that she will continue to tackle the Tour her way.

“I do things on my own time when I want to do them, how I want to do them, how I think it fits me best and what I would like to do,” maintained the 25-year-old. “So I'm going to continue to do that, and hopefully in that I make some good decisions and I'm able to have some good results at Wimbledon and take care of myself, more importantly, and put myself first above everything else. When I do that, I have the best results, so I'm going to try to do that.”

Two Grand Slam finals in nine months: you can't really argue against that.