ROME, Italy - Reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens rallied from a set down to defeat Barbora Strycova, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1, and reach the second round at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

“A two-and-a-half hour match in the cold is not fun,” Stephens admitted after the match. “Obviously she’s a great player, so she’s never easy to play. I’m just happy to get through it and be able to battle.”

Making her first appearance at Rome since 2015, Stephens came into the match looking to gain an edge in her head-to-head record against Strycova - they were 2-2, but had never played on clay - as well as regain her footing on clay.

Stephens’ first match on the surface this season was one to forget, managing just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown against CoCo Vandeweghe in Stuttgart. But the Miami champion bounced back in Madrid, notching wins over Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Samantha Stosur, her first wins on the surface since 2016.

Up against Strycova at the Foro Italico, Stephens put up a tough battle against the Czech but found herself dropping the opening set after a grueling hour. Strycova was keen to snap a seven-match losing streak, and kept Stephens under pressure for most of the opening exchanges.

But Stephens came roaring back in the second and third sets. She roared ahead to a double-break lead in the second, grabbing a 5-2 lead and weathering a late break to close it out. The third set was much more one-sided, with Stephens reeling off the last five games in a row to claim the victory after two hours and 25 minutes on court.

“Obviously this hasn’t been my best season, but last year I missed half the year and couldn’t play here, so I’m just trying to get back into the feel of things,” Stephens said. “I’m just happy to be back, hopefully my next match is better."

Up next, Stephens will play Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi in the second round, after she routed Italian wildcard Camilla Rosatello 6-1, 6-2 earlier in the day.