Zhuhai, China, Nov 1.- Sloane Stephens was pummeled by Anastasija Sevastova at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai today, her third successive defeat since winning the US Open.
The North American, seeded third in the tournament, was beaten by the Latvian fifth seed in two straight sets 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes at the Hengqin International Tennis Centre.
Stephens, 24, was a first-round loser at the Wuhan Open and the China Open in Beijing before pulling out of Hong Kong, but insisted Monday she wasn't feeling under pressure.
Anastasija Sevastova reacts during her women's singles match against Sloane Stephens at WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai. AFP
'I don't think I played terribly,' she said of Wednesday's match.
'I was happy to be playing better than my last matches, so that's a good thing.'
French top seed Kristina Mladenovic was also defeated Wednesday by Slovakia's No 1 Magdalena Rybarikova 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (7/5), in a tight match that saw Rybarikova squander six match points before finally sealing her victory.
Twenty-four-year-old Mladenovic, ranked at a career-high No 10, still has a chance to qualify for the semis but Rybarikova was confirmed out late Wednesday given the round robin format.
'(There were) ups and downs from my side, but... there's a lot of things to take out from this match, lots of positives,' Mladenovic told journalists.
But her first-match loss in Zhuhai also follows a recent poor run, including an upset by Croatian Jana Fett at the Japan Women's Open in September, where she was again top seed.
Earlier in the season she reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells â€' a result which saw her break into the world top 20 for the first time, temporarily overtaking Caroline Garcia as French No 1.