Grand Slam History Made As 1057-Ranked Karolina Pliskova Faces 1102nd Sloane Stephens

For the first time in 36 years, two players ranked outside the Women’s Tennis Association’s top 500 competed at a Grand Slam encounter. 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova, who is currently ranked a lowly 1057, faced 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens (1102nd) in a first-round encounter at the Australian Open.

Pliskova won the match 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, in a commanding display, and will now take on Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, ranked 59th in the world.

Stephens had earlier battled through qualifying for the Australian Open on Thursday to make her first major tournament in a year.

The American cruised past Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti 6-1, 7-5 to bag her spot in the main draw as she continued her comeback from a foot injury that sidelined her for much

of last year.

Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion and a French Open finalist the following year, lost to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne in 2025 before being sidelined by injury.

The 32-year-old played no competitive tennis between February and September.

Pliskova, who has been out of action for a while, returned to the field of play only in September.

The opening-round victory over Stephens at the Australian Open was notable as it marked Pliskova’s first appearance at a major since 2024. The meeting between two former Grand Slam finalists delivered early drama, before Pliskova imposed the authority that once carried her to the world No. 1 ranking.

The match opened with a trademark show of power from Pliskova, who surged to a 5-1 lead in the first set. But the contest soon turned, as Stephens battled back to force a tiebreak.

Pliskova edged the opening set 9-7 in the tiebreak before settling into her rhythm in the second to seal the match with relative comfort. Renowned for possessing one of the finest serves the sport has seen, she used her height and precision to blunt the defensive variety of Stephens.