Peyton Stearns produced a gritty performance to defeat Elina Svitolina and advance to the semifinals of the Italian Open. The American will face home favorite Jasmine Paolini next. Ahead of the match, she revealed how being an experienced college tennis player would be to her advantage against the Italian.
Stearns has had a decent campaign in Rome, starting with a straight-set win against Nuria Brancaccio. She then defeated Anna Kalinskaya and Madison Keys before beating Naomi Osaka to reach the quarterfinals.
Peyton Stearns Doesn’t Expect People Cheering On Her Against Jasmine Paolini in Italian Open SF
The American then took on Svitolina in a late-night thriller on Tuesday. Stearns cruised through the opening set 6-2 and held a 4-2 lead in the second, but the Ukrainian stormed back to take it 6-4. Stearns found herself down a double break in the deciding set, yet staged a remarkable comeback to force a tiebreak and clinched it 7-6(4) to move into the next round.
Notably, with her quarterfinals win in Rome, Stearns also created history by becoming the first player in the Open Era to win three straight WTA main-draw matches in third-set breakers.
The American boasts a standout collegiate background, having competed for the Texas Longhorns. In the spring of 2022, she made history by becoming the first woman from the program to win the NCAA singles title in tennis.
During her post-match on-court interview, the 23-year-old was asked about the atmosphere (in the arena) she expects ahead of facing home favorite Paolini next. Stearns gave a college tennis reference and replied:
“I don’t expect many people to be cheering for me. But that’s ok, I played college tennis so… I’m used to it.”
Peyton Stearns on facing Jasmine Paolini next in Rome
“I don’t expect many people to be cheering for me. But that’s ok, I played college tennis so… I’m used to it” 😂
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter)
Peyton Stearns Hits New Career Milestones with Italian Open Quarterfinals Win
After defeating two-time Italian Open champion Svitolina in the quarterfinals, Stearns secured a spot in the semifinals, marking her first-ever appearance at this stage of a WTA 1000 event. By reaching the semifinals, Stearns is all but assured a notable rise from her current WTA ranking of No. 42 in next week’s updated standings.
The American next faces the No. 6 seed and last year’s French Open and Wimbledon finalist, Jasmine Paolini, on the Center Court in Foro Italico, marking their first meeting on tour.
The Italian advanced to her first Rome semifinal with a three-set win over No. 13 seed Diana Shnaider earlier on Tuesday. Paolini became the fifth Italian woman in the Open Era to reach the semifinals of this tournament, with Sara Errani being the last to do so in 2014. The last woman from the home soil to win the title was Raffaella Reggi in 1985.
