18th-seeded Stephens loses in 1st round of Wimbledon to Kirilenko, ending 2nd-week Slam streak
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sloane Stephens' streak of reaching the second week at six consecutive Grand Slam tournaments ended Monday at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 7-6 (6) first-round loss to 109th-ranked Maria Kirilenko of Russia.
Stephens saved five match points serving at 5-6, sending it to a tiebreaker where Kirilenko clinched the match after a wide forehand by Stephens.
An American seeded 18th, Stephens had held the longest active run of fourth-round appearances at majors by a woman, dating to a semifinal showing at the 2013 Australian Open.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At Wimbledon last year, Stephens got to the quarterfinals, where she lost to eventual champion Marion Bartoli.
Coming into Monday, Stephens' career record in Grand Slam matches was 31-12, while she was 55-54 everywhere else.