“I don’t think I’ve wrapped my mind around the fact where I am right now” – Young American Peyton Stearns breaks through at the US Open
Ranked outside the top 500 last June, the young 21-year-old American is set to debut in the top 50 after reaching the fourth round of the US Open
In June 2022, Peyton Stearns decided to turn pro and had set herself a target of reaching the top 200 by December. After finishing 2022 at No 210 in the rankings, the young American set herself a goal of ending 2023 in the top 100.
Come Monday September 11, Stearns will be ranked inside the world’s top 50 after making a run to the fourth round of her home Grand Slam – the US Open in New York.
On Saturday, Stearns defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-3, her third consecutive straight sets win this week to make the last 16 at Flushing Meadows. Her fast rise up the rankings and her deep run in New York is something that she says has yet to sink in.
“I don’t think I’ve wrapped my mind around the fact where I am right now because I’m honestly trying not to think about it too much. I think that’s been the biggest key to the success this week, is not letting all of this get to my head,” the former University of Texas student said.
“I just try not to think about it too much in the sense of where I am, what’s happening, who I’m playing or where I’m playing kind of thing. I remember in the first set, 5-4, when she was serving in the game, I told myself that it was 0-0. In the last game, as I was serving for it, I told myself I was down Love-30 at the start of the game just to kind of, like, flip the switch a little bit and get me thinking instead of thinking, like, Oh, my gosh, this is the match game, or this is the set game, I can close it out here kind of thing.”
You can’t get much better than winning individuals, winning team, quarters of doubles, leaving from there.
Stearns on her decision to leave college
Last year, Stearns, who also reached the third round at the French Open in June, became the first Texas player to become National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in women’s tennis and said her decision to turn pro was quite easy.
“After my freshman year, I honestly thought about leaving, but it was a good thing I didn’t. It was a little up in the air, 50/50. At the end of the day, I was glad I went back and did what I did. I kind of left college on a high note. I mean, you can’t get much better than winning individuals, winning team, quarters of doubles, leaving from there,” Stearns said. “It was a pretty easy decision. Actually, I made that decision in December of my sophomore year. I was out all fall with a foot injury, hadn’t picked up a racquet and told the coach that I’m leaving after this spring, no matter what.”
Up next for the young American is a clash against the reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Stearns in the first round of Wimbledon in June. Win or lose, the American will have to define a new goal for herself once the US Open is over. “I’ve kind of set goals in the rankings a little bit for myself, and I keep surpassing those goals, so I have to keep creating new ones, which is a great thing.”
