Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns captures 1st career WTA singles title in Rabat

Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns broke through Saturday in the Morocco Open in Rabat.

The 22-year-old captured her first WTA singles title with a straight-set victory (6-2, 6-1) over Egypt's Mayar Sherif (No. 66). It was her second career championship appearance in singles after falling to Tatjana Maria in the Bogota Final in April 2023.

Stearns, a 2022 national champion at the University of Texas and the World No. 81, cruised to the title in a match that lasted just 72 minutes.

Peyton Stearns celebrates a point against Aryna Sabalenka during round two of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Saturday, March 9, 2024.
Peyton Stearns celebrates a point against Aryna Sabalenka during round two of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Saturday, March 9, 2024.

Her path to the final was a different story as Stearns had to overcome a 5-0 third-set deficit in the quarterfinals, eventually winning seven consecutive games and surviving a pair of match points to beat Lucia Bronzetti.

In the semifinals, Stearns beat Viktoriya Tomova 6-7 (6), 7-5, 7-6 (4) in a marathon match that lasted over three hours.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns wins 1st career WTA singles title

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