Video: Sloane Stephens charms fans by speaking Spanish following victory at 2023 Merida Open

Former World No.3 Sloane Stephens impressed the crowd at the 2023 Merida Open Akron by speaking Spanish, eliciting cheers and applause from the spectators.

Stephens triumphed over Russian tennis player Varvara Gracheva, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (5) at the 2023 Merida Open on Friday (February 24). The match lasted two hours and 46 minutes. The American will now face Italian tennis player Camila Giorgi in the quarter-finals.

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In the post-match on-court interview, Stephens expressed her gratitude in Spanish, expressing her love for Mexico and thanking the crowd for their support.

"Te amo Mexico!! Muchas Gracias," Stephens said to the crowd.

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The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) shared a video of the 29-year-old speaking Spanish on their social media pages. Stephens shared the WTA video on her own handle, humbly admitting that enabled she was able to speak such fluent Spanish due to using the Duolingo language app.

"@duolingo coming in cutch," she wrote.