??
From the moment the women's draw came out at Flushing Meadows, it was clear which potential fourth-rounder was the most intriguing: defending champion Williams against up-and-coming talent Stephens.
"As I always say, I think it will be epic," Stephens said. "I'm really looking forward to it. See what happens."
And that statement came hours before Williams even had advanced out of the third round by beating 78th-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-1 in a match that wrapped up past 1 a.m. Saturday.
Stephens reached the round of 16 by beating 23rd-seeded Jamie Hampton 6-1, 6-3.
US Open: Serena Williams cruises past Shvedova, meets Sloane Stephens in 4th round
Advertisement