Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens to play in Atlanta Open showdown

Former World No. 1 in singles and doubles Venus Williams and 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens will go head-to-head in the Atlanta Open Sunday Showdown on July 21. 

The two former Grand Slam champions will play a three-set singles match starting at 7 p.m. to kick off the Main Draw. The 2024 Atlanta Open is scheduled to be played July 20-28 at Atlantic Station. Last year, tournament organizers announced that the 2024 event will be the last for the Atlanta Open.

Both women will make a return to Atlanta as each player has participated in a Sunday Showdown, Williams in the inaugural Sunday Showdown in 2017 (vs. Genie Bouchard), Stephens in 2021 (vs. Kim Clijsters). Williams, the sport’s winningest active player with seven Grand Slam singles titles and 49 career WTA singles titles, is one of the most accomplished players in tennis history. Combining her singles and doubles careers, Williams won 21 Grand Slam titles, four gold and one silver Olympic medals, and is second all-time in career prize money.

One thing Williams has yet to accomplish in her career is winning a match against Stephens, as Stephens is undefeated in two career matches between them. The pair’s most recent matchup was a 2017 U.S. Open semifinal where Stephens, former World No. 3, outlasted Williams (6-1, 0-6, 7-5) en route to winning the Slam. Stephens has earned eight WTA singles titles in her career. 

“We are proud to announce that Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens will play in the final Sunday Showdown delivered by UPS,” said Peter Lebedevs, Atlanta Open tournament director. “Venus and Sloane are two beloved champions of our sport, and they will surely put on a great show for Atlanta tennis fans.”

Tickets for the Sunday Showdown are on sale now and available at atlantaopentennis.com.

This story comes to GPB through an editorial partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.