Peyton Stearns makes WTA history: Three straight third-set tie-break victories

Peyton Stearns achieved a remarkable record after her victory against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Rome Open. The American secured the win 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), in what was her third consecutive victory in a third-set tie-break, an unprecedented feat on the WTA Tour.

The American has earned a well-deserved spot in the semifinals, being the big surprise at this stage of the tournament. The 23-year-old has already secured a rise in the ranking from No. 42 to No. 26, her career-high, which will allow her to start Roland Garros as a seeded player.

Stearns began her journey in the tournament by comfortably defeating Nuria Brancaccio (No. 183) 6-3, 6-2, then causing her first upset against Anna Kalinskaya (No. 28) 6-2, 6-3.

With two straightforward wins on the way, she went on to challenge world No. 6 Madison Keys, Australian Open champion earlier this year, and Stearns turned around a complicated match to end with a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory, the best win of her career so far.

In the round of 16, her opponent was 4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka (No. 48), with whom the story was similar, taking the victory in the third-set tie-break after coming back from a break down in the third set, closing out another notable win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).

After reaching her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal, her opponent on Tuesday was 2-time Italian Open champion Elina Svitolina (No. 14). Stearns had to come back in the third set from two breaks down and ended up taking everything to a tie-break, where she was again strong in the moment of tension and secured the win: 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4).

With this, Stearns makes history on the WTA Tour by becoming the first female tennis player to win three consecutive matches in the main draw of a WTA event in third-set tie-breaks. The American, who is in her first WTA 1000 semifinal, will face local player Jasmina Paolini (No. 5) for a place in the Rome Open final.