She's done it! Sloane Stephens looks shocked after beating Serena Williams
When Stephens was 13, she was contacted by her absent father, former New England Patriots running back John M. Stephens, who had divorced her mother when she was young.
He called his daughter after learning that he was suffering from a degenerative bone disease and wanted the opportunity to develop a relationship with her before his death.
Their friendship quickly blossomed, yet it was cut tragically short when Mr Stephens, then 43, lost control of his truck on a rural stretch of Louisiana highway in September 2009.
He was not wearing a seat-belt and was thrown from the vehicle after it struck trees, dying instantly.
Absent: Sloane turned to tennis to help her overcome the death of her father, John Stephens, pictured playing for the New England Patriots in 1989. He contacted her when she was 13 and died when she was 16
Sloane Stephens, after finally enjoying a friendship with her father, was suddenly without him again.
And as she carried out internet searches on him, she was left with questions in his absence; she learned that he had pleaded guilty to rape charges in Missouri in 1994.
He served probation for the crime but was arrested on further charges of sexual assault outside Shreveport in April 2009. The charges were pending at the time of his death.
Amid the tragedy and the horrifying revelations, she turned to tennis.
'Right after she found out [about his death], she cried for about an hour and a half,' her mother, Sybil Smith said, before the 16-year-old went outside to hit tennis balls for a couple of hours.
Fighter: Stephens is pictured left in September 2009, just days after her father died in a car crash. She raced from his funeral to take part in the U.S. Open. Right, she is pictured winning a match in May 2009
Disbelief: Stephens grins after beating Serena Williams 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 at the Australian Open
'I think right now she feels that the safest place for her is on the tennis court,' Smith, a former All-American swimmer at Boston University, told the New York Times days after the death.
She added that she had kept the rape charges hidden from her daughter as she wanted the girl to know her father as kind-hearted. As a rookie, he was honored by the NFL for his charity work.
'I wanted her to have pride in him,' Smith said. 'I'm telling you, John was a very good man with addiction issues that were never addressed early on.'
She continued: 'It's very sad, because Sloane and her dad became so close. They had a great friendship. She knew a part of her dad that was all good and she was able to be proud of him.
'I look at her and I look in her eyes and I melt because I know how much he meant to her in these last few years.'
Wave of sadness: Williams salutes the crowd after being knocked out of the Open by Stephens
SERENA JAMEKA WILLIAMS
Born: Michigan
Age: 31
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 155lb
Highest world rank: 1
Net worth: $90million
Grand Slam titles: 15
Olympic medals: Four (gold)
Facebook fans: 1.3million
Twitter followers: 3.4million
SLOANE STEPHENS
Born: Plantation
Age: 19
Height: 5' 8"
Weight:134.5lb
Highest world rank: 25
Net worth: Not listed
Grand Slam titles: 0
Olympic medals: 0
Facebook fans: 7,500
Twitter followers: 45,000
Stephens, who became a professional tennis player in 2007, also hit a roadblock when she lost to a lesser-ranked opponent in Madrid early last year.
Her mother met her in Rome and together they did some 'soul searching' at the Vatican. Stephens realised something wasn't working and got a new coach, a decision which has taken her from strength to strength.
On Tuesday, she defeated 15-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 after fine form and Williams suffering a back injury - and a fair few angry outbursts.
Williams hurt her back in the eighth game of the second set and things got progressively worse.
She yelled at herself on several occasions, and smashed a racket into the court, earning a $1,500 fine from tournament officials.
Powerful: Stephens hits a forehand return to Williams during their quarterfinal match in Melbourne
Fine form: Sloane Stephens beat Serena Williams at the Australian Open after losing the first set
Pain game: Williams receives treatment from the physio for her back injury
It was Williams' first loss since August 17, and her first defeat at a Grand Slam tournament since last year's French Open.
Williams' downer of a Grand Slam Down Under started badly when she turned her right ankle in her opening match at Melbourne Park.
'I've had a tough two weeks between the ankle ... and my back, which started hurting,' Williams said. 'A lot of stuff.'
While Williams packed for home - she and sister Venus have also lost in doubles - Stephens advanced to a semifinal on Thursday against defending champion Victoria Azarenka.
Stephens said the magnitude of her accomplishment only hit her while she was warming down after the match.
Boiling over: Williams earned a code violation for breaking her racket
Angry: The American was frustrated at having to play a third set, having gone a break up in the second
No use: A racket damaged by Williams lies on the floor
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