Peyton Stearns

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Peyton Stearns
Peyton Stearns (Roland Garros 2023) 12 (cropped).jpg
Stearns at the 2023 French Open
Country (sports)Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (2001-10-08) October 8, 2001 (age 23)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned proJune 2022
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
College Texas
Coach
Prize moneyUS$ 1,994,350
Singles
Career record159–106
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 43 (September 18, 2023)
Current rankingNo. 46 (3 February 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open 1R (2024, 2025)
French Open 3R (2023, 2024)
Wimbledon 1R (2023, 2024)
US Open 4R (2023)
Doubles
Career record42–43
Career titles0 WTA, 2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 71 (September 9, 2024)
Current rankingNo. 115 (3 February 2025)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open 2R (2024, 2025)
French Open 2R (2023)
Wimbledon 2R (2024)
US Open 2R (2024)
Last updated on: 3 February 2025.

Peyton Mckenzie Stearns (born October 8, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked by the WTA as high as No. 43 in singles, achieved on 18 September 2023, and No. 71 in doubles, achieved on 9 September 2024. She has won one WTA Tour singles title, and five singles and two doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.

Contents

She played college tennis for the Texas Longhorns. In spring 2022, Stearns became the first Texas player to become the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in women's tennis and elected to turn professional later that year.

In her first full season on tour in 2023, Stearns made her top 100 debut in April, after reaching her first WTA Tour quarterfinal at the inaugural 2023 ATX Open in March, before reaching her first career final at the 2023 Copa Colsanitas the following month.

At the 2023 US Open, she reached the fourth round of a major for the first time and so reached the top 50 in September 2023.

College years

Stearns played two seasons of college tennis at the University of Texas at Austin, [3] where she became the first Texas player [4] to win the NCAA Division I Women's Singles National Championship in spring 2022. She has cited the success of fellow American Danielle Collins as inspiration for helping her decide to attend college before eventually turning professional, which she elected to do in June 2022. [2] [5]

Career

2021–2022: WTA Tour & Grand Slam debuts

Stearns made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2021 Silicon Valley Classic, where she received entry as an alternate into the doubles main draw. She made her major debut as a wildcard at the 2022 US Open. [6]

2023: WTA Tour final, major fourth round & top 50

At the inaugural ATX Open in Austin, Stearns earned her first WTA Tour win as a wildcard over qualifier Katie Boulter in a three-hour marathon. [7] Next, she defeated fellow wildcard player Mirjam Björklund to reach her first WTA Tour quarterfinal, where she lost to Katie Volynets in straight sets. [8] [9] The following week, she made her main-draw debut at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open as a wildcard and overcame a set deficit to defeat Rebeka Masarova in the first round, before succumbing to Bianca Andreescu from a set up in the next round. [2] [10]

Stearns reached her first WTA Tour singles final at the Copa Colsanitas, after defeating Rosa Vicens Mas, Elina Avanesyan, Tamara Zidanšek and Kamilla Rakhimova. [11] Though she fell in three sets to defending champion Tatjana Maria in the championship match, her results at the tournament propelled her into the top 100 for the first time, at world No. 89, on April 10. [12] [13] This also ensured Stearns a direct entry into the main draw of the 2023 French Open. Later that month, she reached the final of the $100k Charleston Pro, losing it to compatriot Emma Navarro in three sets.

At the Morocco Open in Rabat, Stearns defeated Panna Udvardy and Leylah Fernandez to reach her third tour quarterfinal. She lost to Sloane Stephens in a third-set tiebreak, despite holding three match points. [14]

Ranked world No. 69 at the French Open, Stearns recorded her first top-50 win, defeating No. 49 Kateřina Siniaková. She immediately followed that up with her first top-20 win, defeating former champion and 17th seed, Jeļena Ostapenko, in three sets. She was defeated by ninth seed Daria Kasatkina, in the third round.

At the US Open, she reached the fourth round defeating Viktoriya Tomova, Clara Tauson and Katie Boulter. [15] As a result, she reached the top 50 at world No. 44 on 11 September 2023.

2024: WTA Tour title, French and US Open third rounds, WTA 1000 quarterfinal

In Indian Wells, Stearns recorded her second WTA 1000 win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto. [16] She held four match points against world No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka, in the second round but lost the match in the third set tiebreak. [17] On her debut in the main draw at the Miami Open, she also reached the second round with a win over Wang Yafan [18] before losing to Victoria Azarenka. [19]

Stearns won her maiden career title at the Rabat Grand Prix in Morocco, defeating Mayar Sherif in the final. [20] [21]

She reached for the second consecutive time the third round at the French Open, with wins over first time major qualifier Lucija Ćirić Bagarić in three sets, [22] and tenth seed Daria Kasatkina. [23]

At the WTA 1000, the Canadian Open in Toronto, she reached the quarterfinals for the first time at this level, defeating Anna Blinkova, [24] and then upsetting seventh seed Madison Keys [25] and 12th seed Victoria Azarenka, both matches by retirement. [26] She lost to third seed and eventual champion Jessica Pegula. [27]

Ranked No. 47 at the US Open, she again reached the third round defeating Lesia Tsurenko [28] and upsetting 12th seed Daria Kasatkina [29] [30] to set up a meeting with 24th seed Donna Vekić which she lost in straight sets. [31]

2025: First top-10 win

In February, at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Stearns defeated Ons Jabeur in the first round [32] and then overcame world No. 8 Zheng Qinwen in three sets to record her first win against a top-10 ranked player. [33] [34] She lost in the third round to 12th seed Mirra Andreeva in a match played later on the same day as her encounter with Zheng due to rain interruptions setting the tournament schedule back. [35]

Performance timelines

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, Hopman Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.

Singles

Current through the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

Tournament 2021 2022 2023 2024 SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open AAA 1R 0 / 10–10%
French Open AA 3R 3R 0 / 24–267%
Wimbledon AA 1R 1R 0 / 20–20%
US Open Q1 1R 4R 3R 0 / 35–363%
Win–loss0–00–15–34–40 / 89–853%
WTA 1000
Qatar Open NTIANTI 1R 0 / 10–10%
Dubai Championships ANTIA 2R 0 / 11–150%
Indian Wells Open Q2 A 2R 2R 0 / 22–250%
Miami Open AA Q2 2R 0 / 11–150%
Madrid Open AAA 1R 0 / 10–10%
Italian Open AAAA0 / 00–0  
Canadian Open AA 1R QF 0 / 23–260%
Cincinnati Open Q1 Q2 1R 1R 0 / 20–20%
Guadalajara Open NHA 1R NTI0 / 10–10%
China Open NH 1R 3R 0 / 22–250%
Wuhan Open NHA0 / 00–0  
Win–loss0–00–01–58–80 / 139–1341%
Career statistics
2021 2022 2023 2024 SRW–LWin %
Tournaments021419Career total: 35
Titles0001Career total: 1
Finals0011Career total: 2
Hard win–loss0–00–28–109–120 / 2417–2441%
Clay win–loss0–00–08–37–41 / 815–768%
Grass win–loss0–00–00–11–20 / 31–325%
Overall win–loss0–00–216–1417–181 / 3533–3449%
Win %  0%53%49%Career total: 49%
Year-end ranking [a] 39220953$1,577,274

Doubles

Current through the 2024 Morocco Open.

Tournament 2021 2022 2023 2024 SRW–LWin %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open AAA 2R 0 / 11–150%
French Open AA 2R 1R 0 / 21–233%
Wimbledon AA 1R 2R 0 / 21–233%
US Open A 1R 1R 2R 0 / 31–325%
Win–loss0–00–11–33–40 / 84–833%
WTA 1000
Qatar Open NTIANTIA0 / 00–0  
Dubai Championships ANTIAA0 / 00–0  
Indian Wells Open AA 2R A0 / 11–150%
Miami Open AA 1R A0 / 10–10%
Madrid Open AAAA0 / 00–0  
Italian Open AAAA0 / 00–0  
Canadian Open AAA 2R 0 / 11–150%
Cincinnati Open 1R A 2R 2R 0 / 32–340%
Guadalajara Open NHA 2R NTI0 / 11–150%
China Open NH SF A0 / 13–175%
Wuhan Open NHA0 / 00–0  
Win–loss0–10–06–52–20 / 88–850%
Career statistics
Tournaments22910Career total: 23
Overall win–loss0–21–28–96–100 / 2115–2142%
Year-end ranking [b] 538266101

WTA Tour finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Legend
Grand Slam (0–0)
WTA 1000 (0–0)
WTA 500 (0–0)
WTA 250 (1–1)
Finals by surface
Hard (0–0)
Clay (1–1)
Grass (0–0)
Finals by setting
Outdoor (1–1)
Indoor (0–0)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1 Apr 2023 Copa Colsanitas, ColombiaWTA 250Clay Flag of Germany.svg Tatjana Maria 3–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win1–1 May 2024 Rabat Grand Prix, MoroccoWTA 250Clay Flag of Egypt.svg Mayar Sherif 6–2, 6–1

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 9 (5 titles, 4 runner–ups)

Legend
$100,000 tournaments (0–1)
$60,000 tournaments (1–0)
$25,000 tournaments (4–3)
Finals by surface
Hard (5–2)
Clay (0–2)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss0–1Oct 2019ITF Florence, United States25,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Claire Liu 1–6, 2–6
Win1–1Jun 2021ITF Sumter, United States25,000Hard Flag of Mexico.svg Fernanda Contreras 6–1, 6–2
Loss1–2Jul 2022ITF Columbus, United States25,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Katrina Scott 5–7, 3–6
Win2–2Oct 2022ITF Austin, United States25,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Clervie Ngounoue 6–1, 6–0
Win3–2Oct 2022ITF Florence, United States25,000Hard Flag of Germany.svg Alexandra Vecic6–7(4–7), 6–2, 7–5
Loss3–3Jan 2023ITF Naples, United States25,000Clay Flag of the United States.svg Emma Navarro 3–6, 5–7
Win4–3Jan 2023ITF Orlando, United States25,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Robin Montgomery 6–2, 6–0
Win5–3Feb 2023 Georgia's Rome Open, United States60,000Hard (i) Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Gabriela Knutson 3–6, 6–0, 6–2
Loss5–4Apr 2023 ITF Charleston Pro, United States100,000Clay Flag of the United States.svg Emma Navarro6–2, 2–6, 5–7

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

Legend
$60,000 tournaments (1–1)
$25,000 tournaments (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–0)
Clay (0–1)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Loss0–1 Jun 2021 ITF Charleston Pro,
United States
60,000Clay Flag of the United States.svg Rasheeda McAdoo Flag of Hungary.svg Fanny Stollár
Flag of Indonesia.svg Aldila Sutjiadi
0–6, 4–6
Win1–1Jun 2022ITF Sumter,
United States
25,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Kylie Collins Flag of the United States.svg Allura Zamarripa
Flag of the United States.svg Maribella Zamarripa
6–3, 5–7, [10–7]
Win2–1Sep 2022 Berkeley Challenge,
United States
60,000Hard Flag of the United States.svg Elvina Kalieva Flag of the United States.svg Allura Zamarripa
Flag of the United States.svg Maribella Zamarripa
7–6(5), 7–6(5)

Head-to-head record

Record against top 10 players

ResultW–LOpponentRankEventSurfaceRoundScoreRankH2H
2023
Loss0–1Flag placeholder.svg Daria Kasatkina No. 9 French Open, FranceClay3R0–6, 1–6No. 69
Loss0–2 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica Pegula No. 4 Washington Open, USHard2R3–6, 4–6No. 59
Loss0–3 Flag of France.svg Caroline Garcia No. 7 Tennis in Cleveland, USHard2R6–7(4–7), 3–6No. 58
Loss0–4 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Markéta Vondroušová No. 9 US Open, United StatesHard4R7–6(7–3), 3–6, 2–6No. 59
2024
Loss0–5 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Markéta VondroušováNo. 8 Dubai Championships, UAEHard2R1–6, 7–5, 2–6No. 65
Loss0–6Flag placeholder.svg Aryna Sabalenka No. 2 Indian Wells Open, USHard2R7–6(7–2), 2–6, 6–7(6–8)No. 64
Loss0–6 Flag of the United States.svg Jessica PegulaNo. 6 Canadian Open, CanadaHardQF4–6, 5–7No. 53

Notes

  1. 2018: WTA ranking–887, 2019: WTA ranking–520, 2020: WTA ranking–478.
  2. 2018: WTA ranking-1005, 2019: WTA ranking-877, 2020: WTA ranking-756.

References

  1. "Who Is Peyton Stearns' New Coach Tom Hill? How Is He Related to Danielle Collins?".
  2. 1 2 3 Garber, Greg (March 11, 2023). "'Go big or go home': Swinging freely the key for Stearns". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  3. "Peyton Stearns - Women's Tennis". University of Texas Athletics.
  4. "Women's Tennis' Stearns wins NCAA Singles title". University of Texas Athletics.
  5. "Women's Tennis' Peyton Stearns elects to turn professional". Texas Longhorns. June 3, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  6. "The 2022 US Open's Grand Slam debuts: Bejlek, Andreeva, Fruhvirtova and more".
  7. Ferro, Juan (February 28, 2023). "Former Texas tennis star Peyton Stearns seals three-set victory in ATX Open first round". The Daily Texan . Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  8. "Collins, Volynets surge into Austin semifinals". Women's Tennis Association. March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  9. Plotkin, Jay (March 3, 2023). "Volynets ends Peyton Stearns' run, moves into ATX Open semifinals". Austin American-Statesman . Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  10. "Andreescu bounces Stearns at Indian Wells after shaky start". Sportsnet . Canadian Press. March 12, 2023. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  11. "Defending champion Maria stops Jones' run in Bogota semifinals". Women's Tennis Association. April 8, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  12. "Maria holds off Stearns to win second straight Bogota title". Women's Tennis Association. April 9, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  13. "Rankings Watch: Stearns cracks Top 100, Jabeur edges higher".
  14. "Rabat: Stephens saves triple match point to beat Stearns". April 15, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  15. "Stearns concludes run at U.S. Open in the Round of 16".
  16. "Indian Wells: Stearns moves into second round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  17. "'Magic happened to me': Aryna Sabalenka saves four match points to beat unseeded American at Indian Wells". Desert Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  18. "How a candid conversation helped Peyton Stearns rediscover her edge". Women's Tennis Association.
  19. "Forehand fire: Stearns goes down swinging against Azarenka in Miami". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  20. "Stearns beats Sherif in Rabat to capture first WTA singles title". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  21. "Stearns bests Sherif in Rabat final to claim first title". WTATennis.com.
  22. @WTA (May 28, 2024). "Monumental resilience 💪 After missing out on 5 match points in the 2nd set, @peyton_stearns rallies to defeat Ciric-Bagaric 6-3, 6-7(8), 7-6(6) ❗️" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  23. "Roland-Garros: Stearns upsets No 10 seed Kasatkina". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  24. "WTA Toronto: Stearns victorious over Blinkova". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  25. "WTA Toronto: Keys retires injured, sending Stearns into last 1". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  26. "WTA Toronto: Stearns is fifth American into last eight as Azarenka retires injured". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  27. "Defending champion Pegula defeats Stearns to reach Toronto semifinals". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  28. "US Open: Stearns beats Tsurenko to move into second round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  29. "American Peyton Stearns upsets No. 12 Daria Kasatkina to make 2024 US Open third round". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  30. "US Open: Stearns upsets No 12 seed Kasatkina". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  31. "US Open: Vekic moves into last 16". Tennis Majors. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  32. "Stearns advances past Jabeur; Andreeva cruises in Dubai first round". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  33. "Hot shot: Stearns' quick hands beat Zheng in first Top 10 win". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  34. "Dubai Open: Stearns upsets Zheng to reach last 16". Tennis Majors. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  35. "Mirra Andreeva makes WTA history as she reaches the quarter-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships". Tennis Gazette. Retrieved February 20, 2025.