Former ASB Classic winner makes a return

The 2016 champion Sloane Stephens is returning to Auckland for the ASB Classic in the New Year.

The 29-year-old American won the ASB Classic in 2016, going on to win the US Open and rose to a career-high No 3 in the world in 2018.

She has won seven WTA titles including the one Grand Slam, and has amassed nearly NZ$30m in her illustrious career.

Stephens first came to the ASB Classic as a qualifier in 2011m reaching the Round of 16 in 2015 before claiming the title at Stanley St the following year, when she beat Germany’s Julia Goerges in straight sets in the final after disposing of Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals.

The American is also heavily involved with her own Foundation, a charitable trust established using tennis and education to change the narrative of poverty, health inequity, and educational underdevelopment in USA.