Sloꦕane Stephens suffered a collapse of epic 𒅌proportions to crash out of the U.S. Open.
The struggling American won the first nine games and served for the match 🔜in both the second and third♛ sets, only to fall to Clara Burel.
The F♏renchwoman pulled out a stunning 0🔴-6, 7-5, 7-5 win to send Stevens packing from Flushing Meadows.
It marks the third straight tournament Stephens dro𒆙pped her opener after getting bounced in Washington and Toronto.
The 2017 US Open ch💧amp, Stephens dominated the first set and appeared in complete control under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But after taking a 6-0, 3-0 lead, the wheels cam🍒e off for her. Stephens dropped seven of the next nine and ended up having to play the third set.
After both playe༒rs took a break before the third set, Stephens held serve and then broke to go up 2-0.
But in a set that had six 🅠breaks, Burel broke back to knot it at 2-all.
Stephens broke to serve fo🐠r the match at 5-4. But🐓 she got broken again to let Burel level at 5-all.
Stephens dropped the last two games — opening the final game with a catastrophic double fault — and was sent packing.
“I was a littl💞e bit nervous at the beginning. Sloane Stephens was making it (tough) for me,” Burel said in an on-court TV interview. “I just kept fighting. I found a way
“I think that was the turning point when I tried to be more aggressive, I ಞstarted to win more points…it started to pay off.”