Sloane Stephens did not have the return to the match court that she wanted after playing her first match since February.
Stephens, who is a former US Open champion, has not competed since February after suffering a foot injury.
The American had not been finding much form on the match court, with Stephens losing 10 consecutive matches before the Guadalajara Open.
After going through a lengthy injury layoff, Stephens returned to tennis ranked outside the top 1000 hoping to change that.
Photo by Simon Barber/Getty ImagesSloane Stephens posts positive update after Guadalajara Open loss
Stephens has previously won a WTA title in Guadalajara before, where she played qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round.
Their match actually began on Tuesday, with Stephens dropping the first set, before going on to lead the second 5-3 before rain interrupted play.
When returning to court the following day, Stephens was able to take that second set, but she won only one more game from that point on.
After Stephens was beaten by Stefanini, 6-4 4-6 6-1, she wrote a message on her Instagram story reflecting on her comeback and providing an update on how her foot was feeling.
Stephens wrote, “Not the dream start, but I’ll take it: pain-free, foot intact, and still plenty in the tank. Onward (star emojis). Thank you @gdlopen for the WC (wildcard).”
When did Sloane Stephens last win a professional tennis match?
After losing to Stefanini in Guadalajara, Stephens has now lost 11 consecutive tennis matches dating back to Wimbledon 2024.
This includes a heartbreaking match for Stephens at the US Open in 2024, where she lost to Clara Burel after winning the first nine games of the match.
Stephens’ last professional win came in the first round of Wimbledon last year when she beat lucky loser Elsa Jacquemot in the first round.
It is unclear as to when she will next return to the match court, with the WTA Tour now heading to Asia.
With Stephens now ranked outside the top 1000, she will likely require wildcards to enter tournaments.