Stearns weathers Osaka and an unexpected flyover to reach Rome quarters
ROME -- Tennis matches have been interrupted by fireworks displays, environmental protestors and even, last week in Madrid, a nationwide power blackout.
You can add the world's largest aerobatic display to the list now. As Naomi Osaka served, down a set but at 2-2 in the second against Peyton Stearns, Campo Centrale was briefly deafened by a fleet of eight aircraft overhead, trailing green, white and red plumes behind them.
Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play
The unexpected flyover by the Frecce Tricolori, Italy’s national air force display team, didn’t rattle Peyton Stearns -- or disrupt a match that turned into a 2-hour, 41-minute battle. The unseeded American went on to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4), ousting a second straight Grand Slam champion to make her second career WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
Stearns, who had also upset Australian Open winner Madison Keys in a third-set tiebreak in the third round, ended Saint-Malo WTA 125 champion Osaka's eight-match winning streak.
The No. 42-ranked Stearns has been thriving on red clay since partnering with new coach Blaz Kavcic ahead of Madrid, where she reached the last 16.
She has now become the first player in the Open Era to win consecutive matches in Rome in deciding tiebreaks. The last player to achieve this feat at tour level was Katerina Siniakova in Cleveland last August. Oo player in the Open Era has ever won three straight matches in third-set tiebreaks.
"Pretty cool," said Stearns afterwards. "I feel like before here and Madrid, in third sets I was coming out on the short end of it. It's nice to finally be on the flipside even in these tight tiebreaks. Mentally it's just being confident and trusting myself and knowing that, you know what, if you lose this match, you just got to go practice and there's another tournament next week. So, so be it."
Stearns will next face No. 16 seed (and two-time Rome champion) Elina Svitolina, who came through 6-4, 6-2 over No. 29 seed Danielle Collins.
Third-set aggression, resilience key for Stearns: Throughout a riveting final set, the Centrale crowd saw a rare sight: four-time major champion Naomi Osaka pushed onto the back foot as Peyton Stearns unloaded her heavy forehand again and again. Osaka rose to the challenge, making for a series of terrific exchanges -- but more often than not, Stearns landed the final blow. Aces accounted for 10 of Osaka's total of 26 winners. Off the ground, Stearns had the edge, 26 to 16.
"Going into matches like this, if you don't hit the ball, you're not going to win," said Stearns. "I think mentally I was like, 'You have to get every ball. If you miss, you miss, but you have to go for it.'"
But Stearns also had to withstand serious scoreboard pressure to come away with the win. From 3-3 in the second set, Osaka raised her level to reel off five straight games, the longest uninterrupted stretch of the match, to lead 2-0 in the third. Stearns responded with a four-game run to reach 4-2, only for Osaka to peg her back to 4-4.
The ninth game of the third set was a mini-thriller in itself. Stearns had to save five break points, and came up with clean forehand winners on two of them. In the ensuing tiebreak, she also overturned a 4-2 deficit, sealing her first match point as Osaka netted a backhand.
