Latvian tennis player and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, 25, has been knocked out of the French Open in the second round.
Ostapenko, ranked 17th in the world, was defeated by American Peyton Stearns who jumped out into the lead winning the first set.
Stearns is less than one year removed from being the first University of Texas women’s tennis player ever to win the NCAA singles championship.
She looked cool and collected despite dropping a lopsided second set to Ostapenko.
Stearns regained her form, went for her shots, and played cleaner than Ostapenko in the deciding set to log the biggest win of her professional career.
The Collegiate Path Is Becoming More Popular
Stearns spent two years playing NCAA tennis before turning professional.
This is part of a growing trend among young tennis players to either play some or all of their amateur eligibility before becoming professionals.
John Isner, 38, used to be among the select few who took this route when he played for Georgia before turning pro.
Now Ben Shelton (University of Florida) and Danielle Collins (University of Virginia) are among the Americans who win NCAA championships before electing to turn pro.
In her post-match interview, Stearns credited her college career with helping her to prepare for the chaotic scenes at a Grand Slam.
Stearns Is Playing Doubles At Roland Garros Also
Peyton Stearns is having a busy first week at Roland Garros.
She is pairing with another young American, Alycia Parks for doubles; their first match is on Thursday, June 1.
Stearns is currently ranked 69th in the world in singles and 200th in doubles.
She is in Aryna Sabalenka’s section of the singles draw.
The doubles draw is wide open as defending champions Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are not playing this year, and two-time French Open champion pair Barbara Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova were defeated in the first round.
About Peyton Stearns
She is a native of Mason, Ohio, home of the famed Western & Southern Open held each summer for ATP and WTA players.
Stearns is a proud Texas Longhorn and traditionally wears a Nike tennis visor with an orange swoosh to pay tribute to Texas.
Watch Peyton Stearns continue her French Open quest on NBC, Peacock (streaming), and the Tennis Channel; the tournament concludes on June 11.
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