Sloane Stephens Tops Carol Lee in Roland-Garros Qualifying Return
sloane stephens returned to Roland-Garros qualifying and beat Carol Lee 6-3, 6-2 on Monday, landing her first qualifying win at the tournament since 2011. The 33-year-old American was back in qualifying for the first time since she was 18, and the result came while she is trying to rebuild after a right foot stress fracture.
Stephens at Court Suzanne-Lenglen
Stephens handled Lee on Court Suzanne-Lenglen and did it in straight sets. Lee entered as the world No. 362 and stayed under pressure through most of the match, while Stephens kept the score moving in her favor without letting it turn into a long fight.
That return carries more weight because Stephens had already spent years collecting results at Roland-Garros. She owns a 35-13 lifetime record in the main draw and had won 35 main draw matches there before this qualifying run, including a trip to the 2018 final against Simona Halep.
Stephens on the comeback
After the win, Stephens framed the run as a test of whether her game still holds up. “In general I’m here to prove to myself that my game is still there, that I can still play, that I'm still competitive. I think that's the most important thing.”
She also described the return as a different kind of challenge than the one that brought her earlier Paris success. “It just feels different this time, but it's fun. Playing on a protected ranking, playing qualies of Slams – just a different challenge.”
The injury history sits behind that shift. Stephens had a significant left foot injury in 2016 that required surgery and a long rehab, then returned to form in 2017 by winning the US Open. This time she elected not to have surgery on the right foot stress fracture, and she said she is trying to regain her match toughness in 2026.
Her own words made the goal plain. “The first time it clicked and I won a Slam and it was great, but it's not going to be like that again, right? It's going to be an uphill battle. I'm 33. There's a lot more happening. I’m just trying to prove myself that I still got it.”
Roland-Garros record
Stephens has reached the second week in nine of her 13 Roland-Garros main draw appearances, a strong enough track record to make qualifying feel unusual rather than routine. She said, “I've played a lot of matches on that court,” and added, “I'm super comfortable out there and just here at Roland-Garros in general.”
She also pointed to that familiarity as part of why the return felt manageable. “When you have a place that you're familiar with and you know how to manoeuvre, it feels good. So, who knows what will happen, but I am just happy to be playing well.”
The result gives Stephens a clean start to a Paris path built around recovery and repetition. She did not need a three-set battle to show progress; one straight-sets win was enough to put her back in the Roland-Garros conversation after a 15-year gap between qualifying appearances.
