Why does Sloane Stephens play so well in Paris?

Sloane Stephens was born in Florida and developed her tennis game in the heat and humidity on the hard courts of the Sunshine State.

But she could have fooled anyone watching her in Paris this week.

With her continued dominance on the red clay and latest triumph at the French Open — securing the ninth fourth-round appearance of her career at Roland Garros with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Yulia Putintseva — Stephens looks more than at home on the surface.

Stephens, 30, has repeatedly called clay her preferred surface, as well as the French Open her “favorite tournament.” Because she won the biggest title of her career at the 2017 US Open, this might seem surprising, but her overall results at the Parisian major more than support her claims. She reached the French Open final in 2018 and the quarterfinals twice since then, including 2022.

Stephens has been plagued with inconsistency throughout her career and hasn’t reached a Grand Slam fourth round outside of France since 2019, but always seems to raise her level at the year’s second major.

“I love playing on red clay, and I know every time I get to this tournament, it’s time to play,” Stephens said on court after the win on Friday. “So excited to be here, excited to be playing on red clay, on my favorite surface and my best surface.”

Americans have traditionally struggled on the surface, in large part because of its unfamiliarity. Clay courts found in the United States tend to be green, which play quicker and are more like a hard court, and few get much experience on the red clay prior to becoming professional. Serena Williams was the last American to hoist the trophy in Paris in 2015. No man from the U.S. has won it, or even played in the final, during this century.

Following her win on Friday, Stephens is now tied with Jennifer Capriati for the fourth-most round of 16 appearances by an American woman at the Slam in the Open Era. She is behind only Williams, Chris Evert and Venus Williams.

After a disappointing start to her 2023 season, including a first-round exit at the Australian Open, Stephens didn’t fare much better at either of the 1000-level events on clay. But she refused to get discouraged and pivoted to tournaments she might not otherwise play. She won the 125K title in Saint-Malo last month and reached the semifinals at last week’s Morocco Open, saying both tournaments gave her some much-needed confidence.