'Really special.' Here are the local products to watch in the 2025 Cincinnati Open
There are 16 overall players with college experience competing in the Cincinnati Open. That includes Peyton Stearns, a Mason native who won NCAA singles and team titles for the University of Texas.
Stearns is currently ranked in the top 40 in the WTA Rankings after changing coaches in the spring. The 23-year-old is now working with Slovenian Blaz Kavcic, a former professional player on the ATP tour.
"Blaz is positive on and off the court," Stearns told The Enquirer. "It's helped me with confidence going into Rome. I didn't have many wins but had been putting a lot of hours on court and the positivity has helped a lot."
In May, Stearns charged to the semifinals of the Rome Open, a 1000-level event, with victories over two Grand Slam tournament champions Naomi Osaka and Madison Keys. It led to a career-high ranking (No. 28).
Stearns is still searching for her first main draw victory in her hometown tournament after bowing out in the Round of 64 of the Cincinnati Open in back-to-back years. She had a first-round qualifying victory in Mason in 2022.
Caty McNally set to return to Cincinnati Open after elbow injury
Madeira native Caty McNally will make her first on-court appearance at the Cincinnati Open since 2022 after being awarded a main draw wild card.
This time last year, McNally was on campus in Mason but still recovering from elbow surgery. It was the same elbow issue that caused her to withdraw from the tournament in 2023 before ultimately opting to go under the knife in March 2024.
"It's crazy to think it's been that long since I've played in Cincinnati," McNally told The Enquirer. "Getting to play there would be incredibly rewarding."
One year ago, McNally had just been cleared to begin hitting the ball again. She had to tame her passion to get back to the player she was before the injury, which meant conquering the stressful and mentally exhausting weeks of rehab.
"I think a big part of it was the mental side of things," McNally said. "Being able to be positive with myself, give myself time and be patient with the heeling. I had to know my elbow was OK. It's that mental hurdle I had to face. It was a long progression. I remember some points in my rehab that I would walk in and just start crying. To be able to face those demons and prove them wrong has been really nice."
In November 2024, she made her return in the Dow Tennis Classic in Midland, Michigan and won her first match. Since then, McNally has steadily improved her ranking and had a strong showing at Wimbledon, where she won in the first round over Jodie Burrage.
In the Round of 64, McNally was the only player to win a set against Iga Swiatek, who would roll to the Wimbledon title.
"I had a great experience there. I said, 'I think I want to go to Newport. I'm playing really good tennis,'" McNally said. "I want to try to keep this momentum."
McNally did just that in the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island in July. In the first WTA event in 35 years in Newport, McNally upset top-seeded Tatjana Maria for her second career title on tour.
"Being able to test myself physically and mentally like that is always good," McNally said. "It gives me a lot of confidence being able to prove to myself that I can play multiple matches in a day or five matches in a week. It gave me confidence in my body. Just nothing but good things over that week."
McNally is 1-4 all-time in the Cincinnati Open, picking up a main draw victory in her last appearance in 2022.
A pair of University of Kentucky products will play in Cincinnati Open
Cincinnati Country Day product J.J. Wolf underwent surgery for a torn labrum in February and will miss the Cincinnati Open.
However, there are a few players in the ATP field of local interest, including two former UK Wildcats.
Gabriel Diallo, a three-time All-American at UK from 2020-2022, is currently ranked in the top 40 in the ATP Tour. He captured his first career ATP Tour title in June by winning the Libema Open Grass Court Championships.
Liam Draxl, the ITA National Player of the Year in 2021 while at UK, is in the Cincinnati Open qualifying field.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here are the local products to watch in the 2025 Cincinnati Open
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