Stephens books spot in French Open quarterfinals

Sloane Stephens knocked out two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 6-4, 6-3, Sunday to advance to the French Open quarterfinals for the second straight year. Stephens, a finalist at Roland Garros last year and the 2017 US Open champion, is one of four American women still alive in the draw.

The 26-year-old American dropped her serve in the opening game of the match and continued to struggle in her early service games, but the No. 7 seed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., turned things around in the sixth game of the first set, when she broke the 2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon champion to level the set at 3-all. Stephens broke Muguruza's serve again in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and won five of the last six games in the set, including a break of serve at love in the final game, to claim the first set in 54 minutes.

The American played a solid second set, with 12 winners to eight for Muguruza and 35 total points won to 26 for the 19th-seeded Spaniard. She broke Muguruza for a 5-3 lead and then saved four match points in the final game of the set before clinching the win in 1 hour, 40 minutes.

This was the first clay-court meeting between the two former Grand Slam champions, with the players splitting their previous two matches, both played on hard courts. Muguruza won their first meeting at Wuhan, China, in 2015, and Stephens captured their second match at Miami in 2018.

Stephens next takes on British No. 26 seed Johanna Konta in Tuesday's quarterfinals. She improved her career record at Roland Garros to 21-7 and is the highest remaining seed in the bottom half of the draw.

Other Americans advancing Sunday include Rajeev Ram, who reached the men's doubles quarterfinals with British partner Joe Salisbury; No. 3 seed Brandon Nakashima, No. 6 Emilio Nava, qualifier Dali Blanch and Toby Alex Kodat, who won their opening matches in boys' singles; and No. 8 Emma Navarro and Charlotte Chavatipon, who advanced to the second round of girls' singles.

Looking ahead to Monday's action in Paris, No. 14 seed Madison Keys, 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova and 20-year-old Sonya Kenin will play their fourth-round matches, with Keys facing Katerina Siniakova, Anisimova battling Aliona Bolsova and Kenin meeting No. 8 Ashleigh Barty.

Kenin notched the biggest win of her career in the third round Saturday, upsetting 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, 6-2, 7-5.