Danielle Collins upset by Taylor Townsend in All-American duel as Peyton Stearns returns to victory in Cincinnati Open

Taylor Townsend is continuing her impeccable form on the American hardcourt swing after defeating former world No. 8 Danielle Collins in straight sets. The 29-year-old American has been in great shape this past year, achieving several wins against tough opponents.

The former juniors world No. 1 had struggled for months to get through qualifying rounds in WTA tournaments, and her appearances were more focused on doubles, where she recently reached No. 1 and won three titles this year, including the Australian Open with Katerina Siniakova.

A couple of weeks ago, Townsend made a name for herself at the DC Open, reaching the quarterfinals from qualifying and defeating former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin along the way. This time, the American is once again making headlines in singles and advancing to the second round of Cincinnati.

On the other hand, another player who secured an important victory today was the 23-year-old American Peyton Stearns, who needed a win to regain her confidence. Stearns got her first hardcourt victory of the second half of the year after consecutive losses to Venus Williams and Emma Raducanu.

It was a duel between two experienced players on the Tour, where Collins seemed to have the first chance to secure the victory. However, the former Australian Open runner-up started with doubts against a Townsend who quickly took control of the match after two consecutive breaks and a couple of good service games that put her up 4-0. Although Collins managed to get one of the breaks back, Townsend ultimately won the first set 6-4, earning 60% of her service points compared to Collins’s 54%.

In the second set, "Danimal" took the initiative and got the first break, leading 2-0, but Townsend quickly responded with a break back. In the middle of the set, there were again cross breaks, and the match remained tied at 4-4, stretching all the way to a tie-break. Collins had looked slightly better in the set, getting more break opportunities and being more consistent with her serve, but in the defining moment, Townsend pulled ahead. The current world No. 125 got four mini-breaks in a nearly perfect tie-break, securing the 6-4, 7-6(2) victory and guaranteeing her spot in the second round, where she will face the 13th seed Liudmila Samsonova.

The world No. 53 Peyton Stearns arrived in Cincinnati looking to regain confidence after a couple of painful losses to Emma Raducanu in Montreal and Venus Williams in Washington. The 23-year-old star fell from the top 35 to world No. 53 in just a couple of weeks. After five losses in her last six matches, Stearns got a win again, defeating China's Yafan Wang in straight sets.

Stearns was consistent with her first serve at 70%, winning 62% of those points throughout the match. The American was especially effective on the return, converting 6 out of 7 break points, while Wang converted 4 out of 5 opportunities. The American had to recover from being down 2-4 in the first set, while in the second, she maintained her dominance from start to finish. The win not only restores her confidence but also returns her to the top 50, at least for now in the live rankings. Her next challenge will be against the Russian 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya.