Sloane Stephens Reaches Guadalajara Quarterfinals After Tjen Win

Sloane Stephens reached the Guadalajara quarterfinals after beating fifth seed Janice Tjen 7–6(4), 7–6(3) at the 2026 Guadalajara Open. The American won both tiebreaks to settle a close match in straight sets.

The result put Stephens into the last eight of the WTA 500 event in Mexico. She advanced despite Tjen’s strong serving, which produced 11 aces across the match.

For readers following the tour after the US Open, Guadalajara offers another week of hard-court tennis. Stephens’ progress is one of the stories to watch as the field narrows.

Sloane Stephens’ Guadalajara Win at a Glance

The official WTA match page confirms the score and playing time. Both sets reached 6–6 before Stephens won the deciding tiebreak.

Two Tiebreaks Decide a Close Contest

Stephens took the first tiebreak 7–4. Then she won the second 7–3, ending the match without needing a third set.

The numbers in brackets show the points won by the player who lost each tiebreak. They help explain why a straight-sets result can still come from a tight contest.

A player can win in two sets while facing a serious test in both. Here, neither set ended with a simple two-game gap, so the tiebreaks settled the outcome.

Tjen’s aces did not settle the result

Tjen served 11 aces, while Stephens hit two. However, Stephens made just one double fault compared with five from Tjen. Each player broke serve twice.

An ace wins a point directly from the serve. A double fault gives the point to the receiver after two failed serves. These figures show why looking at only the ace count gives an incomplete picture.

Peyton Stearns Sets Up an American Quarterfinal

Peyton Stearns also reached the last eight after beating fourth seed Diane Parry 6–2, 7–5. That result put her on the same quarterfinal path as Stephens.

The tournament organiser’s Stearns report says the match lasted one hour and 38 minutes. Parry led 2–1 early, but Stearns then won five games in a row to take the opening set.

As a result, two Americans advanced by beating seeded players. A seed is a player given a protected position in the draw based on the event’s seeding process.

Following the Next Stage in Guadalajara

The quarterfinal round has eight players. Winners move into the semifinals, leaving four players in the singles title race.

Match times can change as earlier contests finish. Check the WTA event page for the latest schedule and results before planning to watch.

For more from the women’s tour, browse our women’s tennis coverage. You can also read our report on Elena Rybakina’s US Open title for context on the season’s latest Grand Slam.

Featured image: Sloane Stephens at the 2017 Citi Open. Photo: Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized. Both photos are archival and do not show the 2026 Guadalajara match.