"I’m playing terribly. Really badly. I just have to admit it. I have no excuses. My brain and body are giving up. I’m making strange errors that I’m not used to. It’s all just falling apart," said Tauson, who has had a terrible year on the court to bt.dk after the match.
This marks the third consecutive time Tauson crashed out in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament.
The Dane actually got off to a dream start and was clearly the better player until 4-2, but then the match changed completely, and Tauson’s game fell apart.
Tauson quickly learned that Stephens, who won the US Open in 2017, still packs a punch with her forehand, yet whenever the Dane took the initiative in rallies, it usually resulted in points on the scoreboard.
Tauson was striking the ball well, too, and broke serve early to take a 1-0 lead. Her serve was also spot-on from the start, helping her establish a 4-2 advantage.
At that stage, Tauson had four break points to go up 5-2, but the American fended them all off, narrowing the gap to 3-4. Stephens then capitalized on her newfound momentum to break back and level the score at 4-4.
Suddenly, the American could do no wrong, while Tauson’s level dropped. Stephens ultimately won the set 6-4 after Tauson blasted a forehand wide.
The pattern continued into the second set; Tauson was completely devoid of confidence and committed error after error. Tauson managed to avoid a humiliating "bagel"—saving match points while trailing 0-5—but it was only a brief reprieve.
Stephens confidently served out the match in the following game, and after an hour and fifteen minutes of play, Tauson had to make the long, disheartening walk to the net.
An autumn schedule featuring a series of tournaments in Asia now awaits Tauson, offering a final chance to turn around a very difficult year.