Stephens tops Robson in matchup of rising teens

Robson had 47 unforced errors overall, along with just 11 winners.

“I felt something in my shoulder yesterday, but we still don’t know what it is because I haven’t had time to see the doctor or anything yet,” said a subdued Robson, who had upset 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in a three-hour match on Thursday.

“But these things happen, and you just have to play through the pain sometimes. I thought Sloane played really well today.”

Stephens, who next plays Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski for a spot in the quarterfinals, was equally complimentary of Robson afterward _ and not just about her tennis.

“She’s an awesome girl. She’s pretty. I mean, what more do you want?” she said. “She’s obviously a good player. We’re going to have a rivalry, all that good stuff.”

So far, Stephens has the upper hand. She’s now 2-0 against Robson after beating her last week in a tournament in Hobart, too.

But Robson believes there will be plenty of chances for revenge.

“We’ve played each other twice in two weeks, so I can see it happening again at some point,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll play Sloane a lot in the future.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.