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American sensation Peyton Stearns caused a huge upset at the 2023 French Open by defeating World No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
Stearns, winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Singles National Championship, outlasted the 2017 Roland Garros champion 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. This is Stearns' biggest win on the WTA tour since turning professional in June last year.
The 21-year-old took the first set by breaking Ostapenko three times. The Latvian regrouped and broke Stearns three times in the second to send the match into a deciding third set. The American then steamrolled Ostapenko in the decider, breaking her twice and saving the one break point on her serve to win the match and enter the third round.
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Stearns used her powerful forehand effectively and targeted Ostapenko's second serve throughout the match. She also hit more winners (30 vs 29) and fewer unenforced errors (21 vs 28) than Ostapenko.
The result is a seismic upset given Ostapenko's recent form on clay, including a semifinal run at the Italian Open. The Latvian has become the 15th-seeded player in the women's singles draw to exit the 2023 French Open.
Stearns, playing just her second Major, the first being the 2022 US Open, will now enter the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. She will face either Marketa Vondrousova or last year's semifinalist and No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina.
Peyton Stearns steadily rises up the WTA rankings
Peyton Stearns has been steadily rising in the WTA live rankings ever since making her professional debut in June 2022. The American earned her first win on the WTA tour at the 2023 ATX Open, defeating Katie Boulter in the first round.
Stearns went on to make a quarterfinal appearance (l. Katie Volynets) in Austin to break into the top 100 of the rankings. She then reached her first WTA Tour final at the WTA 250 Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, after bettering the likes of Tamara Zidensek and Kamilla Rakhimova. Stearns showed her grit but ultimately came up short against Tatjana Maria in the final, losing 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.
The performance in Bogota helped Stearns reach a career-high ranking of World No. 69. She entered the 2023 French Open after a quarterfinal run at the Morroco Open.
Stearns defeated Katerina Siniakova 7-6 (7), 6-2 in the opening round to win her first match at a Grand Slam.
