Stephens is coming off a title win in Saint-Malo while Azarenka crashed in the opening round of the singles matches in Madrid. She was understandably nervous.
“I was definitely quite nervous before the match,” Azarenka said.
“I felt like I didn’t have too many matches under my belt and Sloane just won the tournament, so I knew she’s in a good form, so I just tried to kind of stay focused on myself.”
Azarenka showed up with a baseline that overpowered Stephens. This is her 14th appearance in Rome. Back in 2013, she had reached the finals but lost to Serena Williams.
“It feels like it was such a long time ago,” Azarenka said.
“Time goes by fast. I try to appreciate every moment I have on the court. I’m not sure how long I will play longer, so I want to enjoy it. But I still feel like I can be very competitive.”
It has been a good year for Azarenka. She reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and last week won the doubles title in Rome while paired up with Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Rome is the last big warmup of the clay-court season before the French Open which starts at the end of the month.