08-08-2025
Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns rallies to claim first ever Cincinnati Open win
MASON, Ohio – Peyton Stearns wanted to focus on the opponent in front of her and not her supporters in the stands.
The 23-year old Cincinnati native heard the cheers throughout her match Aug. 7 in the first round of the Women's Tennis Association Cincinnati Open at the Lindner Tennis Center.
She made the home crowd happy, defeating Yafan Wang 6-4, 6-3 in the nightcap on Center Court. Stearns won a match in the main draw in Mason for the first time in her career.
'Thanks so much for coming out tonight, guys,' she said in an on-court interview broadcast in the stadium court. 'I see so many familiar faces in the crowd, it's awesome. I just remembered like it was yesterday when I was out here flipping a coin, so it's pretty cool.'
She will face No. 28 seed Anna Kalinskaya this weekend in the second round. They have split two prior matches.
'She's playing really well, so I gotta get to it,' Stearns said. 'Hopefully everyone comes out again.'
Stearns trailed in both sets, as the match featured 10 service games broken. Stearns broke Wang six times, but Wang had four of her own.
Stearns rallied to win the first set, which featured five service breaks.
Trailing 4-2, she won the next four games to take the set, 6-4. She won three of four break-point opportunities, and overall had 16 winners to just six for Wang. Both players had 14 unforced errors.
To start the second set, Wang broke Stearns's serve in the first game and led 2-0. Stearns rallied back again, breaking Wang's serve to pull into a 2-2 tie.
The next game was a long one, with five deuces. Stearns survived one break point, then won the game on her fourth game point, to take a 3-2 lead. She then broke Wang again to lead 4-2, but the 31-year old native of China returned the favor, and it was 4-3.
Stearns broke Wang again to lead 5-3, then rolled through the next game to claim the match.
'Mentally, I did a very good job of staying composed on court and that helped a lot. Resetting between each point and taking it one at a time,' Stearns told the Enquirer. She then reflected on the long second-set game at 2-2. 'It was definitely a long game and I tried not to put too much emphasis on winning it, moreso just taking it point by point, whatever happens, happens.'
Both players did well on the first serve, getting 70% of them in. The key was the second serve. Stearns won 45% of her points on those vs. only 13% for Wang.
Stearns had 25 winners for the match against only nine for Wang.
'The last couple of months, I haven't gotten a win under my belt since red clay season,' Stearns said. 'I think it's the way I handled myself. It's very emotional for me to play here. Definitely nice to win it on Center. Just super proud of myself for the way I carried myself out here.'
She told the Enquirer she tried not to look into the stands or in the box where her family was, but she heard all the support.
'It's awesome,' she said. 'Of course, after the match I look out into the crowd. You hear familiar voices in the crowd and you know exactly who it is.'
Stearns, ranked No. 37 in the world, had lost her previous two matches in the main draw in Mason. Wang won a match here in 2019 and lost in the first round in the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Stearns won their only previous meeting last year in Miami, 6-2, 6-3. Stearns was coming off a loss to 45-year old Venus Williams in Washington.
She enjoyed the boisterous support from a late weeknight audience, and hopes for even more fans for a weekend match.
'I love big crowds,' she said. 'I think I perform very well when the crowd is bigger and there's more energy going around, so I'm excited for that.'
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Peyton Stearns perseveres to claim first ever Cincinnati Open win
