2026 Schedule Update | Sloane Stephens returns to action in Auckland after 12 straight losses

Sloane Stephens is already preparing her return for the 2026 season after confirming her first tournament of the year. The former US Open champion is hoping for a successful comeback following a year in which she could barely play six tournaments and spent nearly seven months on the sidelines due to injury.

The 32-year-old lost ground on the WTA Tour over the last couple of seasons between injuries and irregular results—including a long pause away from the courts due to a foot injury. We saw Stephens make some appearances on TV broadcasts this year, such as at the past US Open, where she was part of the commentary team for Tennis TV.

However, Stephens herself acknowledged that she wasn't thinking about retirement yet and hoped to return to high-level competition in good physical shape. She started the year with a streak of four consecutive losses up to the Merida Open—closing February still without a win. Although she was signed up for Indian Wells, the American ended up withdrawing due to her foot injury and began a long break from the tour.

More than seven months passed between her participation in Merida and her return at the Guadalajara Open in September, and the comeback wasn't very fruitful. She fell in her debut in Guadalajara and then entered an ITF event in Tampico, where she again exited in the opener, closing out the 2025 year with just those two tournaments in Mexico.

The former world No. 3 is currently ranked all the way down at No. 1,075, and during 2025 she played barely a handful of matches, finishing the season with an 0-6 record after her participation in the Tampico ITF. The American decided to pause her career when she saw the results weren't coming, while she remains on a streak of 12 consecutive losses.

The last time Stephens secured a victory was in the first round of Wimbledon 2024, where she defeated Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot. After closing 2025 at an ITF tournament—where she was defeated by world No. 347 Sahaja Yamalapalli—Stephens is already envisioning what her comeback season in 2026 will look like.

Just a few months shy of turning 33, Stephens has already confirmed her first tournament of the year: the WTA 250 ASB Classic, to be held in Auckland from January 5 to 11. The former US Open champion received a wildcard from the organization, a tournament she won back in 2016, defeating German Julia Goerges in the final (who would go on to win the same tournament twice in later years).

A field with several heavy hitters on the Tour will join her, led by 2023 runner-up Elina Svitolina, and players like Emma Navarro, Iva Jovic, Alexandra Eala, and Donna Vekic.

The wildcards went to three names generating high attention, especially 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, who will start her 2025 season at the ASB Classic eyeing participation in the Australian Open. Also joining via wildcard is Brit Katie Boulter, who, after a significant drop in the rankings (currently sitting at No. 106), will look to earn important points to return to the top spots in the WTA.