Sloane Stephens even surprises herself by cursing in her post-game press conference. / CBS
Sloane Stephens wanted to win badly. Really badly.
When the American lined up opposite Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the Charleston Open she was out to snap a disappointing streak that had seen her reach the fourth round of a tournament just once in her previous six attempts.
After early exits at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, Stephens was desperate to stay alive in Charleston. She lost the opening set and was down 3-0 in the second but dug deep to take the match to a decider before rounding it out in the third for an incredible 4-6 6-4 6-4 win.
"For the first time in a long time I really was like, I gotta beat this girl," Stephens said in her post-match press conference. "Like, I wanted to be out there, and I was really fighting, and I didn't care what it took.
"But you guys (reporters) obviously see me play a lot, and I was running to the baseline on the changeovers when I was down 3-0.
Sloane Stephens during the Miami Open. Photo / Getty
"I was like, 'OK, I gotta figure out a way' and I definitely think my attitude is what won me the match today."
Quizzed on why she had a burning desire to come out on top against Tomljanovic, perhaps more-so than in recent matches, Stephens shocked herself — and the reporters in front of her — with her brutally honest response.
"I'm tired of f***ing losing. S**t sucks!" she said before realising she forgot to filter herself.
Stephens then jumped on the socials to send an apologetic message to her mum.
The 2017 US Open champion arrived in Charleston as the top seed but hadn't beaten a top 50 opponent since January. However, she found her groove on the South Carolina clay.
"It's just obviously a slow start to the season," Stephens said. "You gotta figure it out somewhere, and it eventually gets going, but you have to make it happen for yourself.
"Like I have to show energy and fight and try to turn it around for myself.
"It's tricky for everyone, but on clay you have a lot of time. You have a lot of time to figure it out, and even like today when you're down 6-4 3-0, it's never over because you can fight your way back and battle your way back and run around and try to figure it out.
"So I think that's what's pretty cool about clay."
Tomljanovic took the only break of the first set and carried her momentum against the former French Open finalist into the opening games of the second. She reeled off 11 straight points to race to a 3-0 lead and looked set for her first win over Stephens in five meetings.
But Stephens clicked into gear, winning five games in a row and forcing a deciding set with another break of serve.
Tomljanovic continued to go for her shots in the third set, breaking first and holding for a 5-3 lead before Stephens fought back to win the final three games.
While Tomljanovic hit more winners than her opponent, Stephens prevailed by making fewer errors.
"Ajla played really well today. I think she played at a really high level and it made me raise my level," Stephens said.
Elsewhere, defending champion Kiki Bertens suffered a surprise 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 loss to world No. 50 Maria Sakkari.
Sakkari showcased supreme court coverage throughout the almost two-hour match. She next plays fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who beat 12th-seeded Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Ninth seed Belinda Bencic extended her fine form with a 6-2 7-5 win over Taylor Townsend to reach the quarter-finals while Petra Martic beat Jessica Pegula 2-6 6-3 6-2.
