Stearns Achieves a First in Open Era WTA History at Rome Tournament

Ranked 42nd in the world before the tournament began, Peyton Stearns is set to make her debut in the top 30 following the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Rome. The American, who has qualified for the semifinals of a tournament in this category for the first time in her career, has also made history with her run in the Eternal City.

Indeed, after comfortable wins against Nuria Brancaccio (6-3, 6-2) and Anna Kalinskaya (6-2, 6-3), the 23-year-old then went on to eliminate Madison Keys (2-6, 6-2, 7-6), Naomi Osaka (6-4, 3-6, 7-6), and Elina Svitolina (6-2, 4-6, 7-6) in succession.

What do these three victories have in common? They were all secured in dramatic fashion, with a third-set tiebreak. According to data collected by Opta, this is the first time in the Open Era that a player has won three consecutive matches via a third-set tiebreak on the WTA Tour.

This remarkable achievement will see her compete in the semifinals this Thursday against crowd favorite Jasmine Paolini (world No. 5) on the center court.