Peyton Stearns picked the right tournament, right city for first WTA match win at ATX Open

After dominating the collegiate tennis scene playing for Texas the last two years, it seemed only appropriate that Peyton Stearns earned her first WTA Tour-level win in Austin.

In a marathon first-round match in the inaugural ATX Open at Westwood Country Club, Stearns outlasted qualifier Katie Boulter 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 after 3 hours, 22 minutes in the second-longest tour contest of the year.

“It’s awesome to do that here in a city that I love,” Stearns said following the match, which ended at nearly midnight. “Some friends and family stuck around until the end, and I’m really thankful to them for coming out — that strong support helped.”

Working off the crowd, Stearns pulled out the win

In a high-level contest that featured multiple long rallies, plenty of high-quality shots and each player breaking the other’s serve six times, Stearns credited mental toughness to help her pull out the win.

She overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first tiebreak, had the chance to close out the match three times — twice in the second set, once in the third — on her serve, and trailed 5-4 in the third tiebreak with Boulter having two serves, but she never panicked and continuously came up with big shots with her back against the wall.

“I think I did a really good job staying in it mentally,” Stearns said. “A couple months ago I may have lost that match in the first two tiebreaks.”

The match started with a large and heavy pro-Stearns crowd, but by the third set, the late hour and dropping temperatures had driven off most of the spectators, leaving only a couple of dozen people to witness the last hour.

When Boulter’s shot landed wide on match point to give Stearns the win, Stearns gave a fist pump, then in the on-court interview for television, said an enthusiastic, “Hook ‘em!”

More: Our first-day coverage, photos of the inaugural ATX Open

Peyton Stearns picked the right place for first win

Since winning the NCAA singles title and helping the Longhorns to the team national championship last May, Stearns has bolted up the WTA rankings after turning pro. She’s dominated ITF tournaments — the lower level of the women’s professional tour — and has appeared in a few WTA events, including the U.S. Open, but this was her first match win at a top-level event.

“This would be one of the top-three places to do it,” she said. “And I’ve got so much family and friends here, that everywhere I walk I see a familiar face. It’s kind of like home, and there’s definitely good, positive vibes here.”

More: Peyton Stearns is on a track to tennis stardom, wrote Kirk Bohls last year

Stearns will play Sweden’s Mirjam Bjorklund, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Alycia Parks, in the second round Wednesday. Her ranking, which jumped to No. 133 following the win, continues to rise, but Stearns said she just wants to play well.

“I try not to think about the rankings too much,” she said. “I just try to go out there and play free and trust my swing."

Stephens and Parks pairing opens with a doubles win

The early evening doubles match between the American duo Alycia Parks and Sloane Stephens and Ukrainian pair Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska drew a large and boisterous crowd.

Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion who has had a successful run on tour for more than a decade, marked the big draw, with many fans shouting her name while cheering on the Americans. Parks — who has burst onto the scene in the last four months, with her singles ranking up to No. 51 — and Stephens didn’t disappoint, pulling out a 7-5, 3-6, 10-6 win in a tiebreak.

“This is quickly becoming my favorite place on tour,” Parks said in an on-court interview following the win. “The crowd was amazing.”

Stephens doesn’t play doubles much anymore, but she decided to give it another try with Parks, starting last week at the Merida Open in Mexico.

“I texted (Parks) and asked her if she wanted to play doubles,” Stephens said with a laugh. “I told her I’m not very good at doubles, but I’d like to play with her (these two weeks).”

The pair will play Anna-Lena Friedsam and Nadiia Kichenok in the second round later this week.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas tennis star Peyton Stearns wins first WTA match in Austin