Cincinnati-born tennis player Peyton Stearns, a former University of Texas standout, has reached the semifinals at the ATX Open following a hard-fought 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 triumph over Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva on Friday.
The fourth-seeded Stearns needed two hours and 31 minutes to complete the victory in a contest that saw 14 total service breaks, with Stearns claiming eight of those breaks during her homecoming to Austin, Texas.
Stearns will face Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in the semifinals after Birrell defeated fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3 in their quarterfinal matchup.
The American player has reached two tournament finals during her professional career, falling short in Bogota, Colombia in 2023 but capturing the title in Rabat, Morocco in 2024.
Fellow American Taylor Townsend also secured a semifinal berth with a comeback victory over Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova, winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 after dropping the opening set.
Townsend’s semifinal opponent will be another American, Ashlyn Krueger, who defeated China’s Yuan Yue 7-6 (5), 6-4 in their quarterfinal encounter.
At the Merida Open Akron in Mexico, Poland’s Magdalena Frech scored an upset victory over Czech Republic’s fourth-seeded Marie Bouzkova, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in quarterfinal action.
Frech’s previous semifinal appearance came in 2024 at Guadalajara, Mexico, where she captured her only professional title to date.
China’s Shuai Zhang will meet Frech in the semifinals after Zhang defeated Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra 6-1, 6-3.
Spain’s Cristina Bucsa advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez. Bucsa awaits the winner of Friday evening’s quarterfinal between Italy’s top-seeded Jasmine Paolini and Great Britain’s Katie Boulter.
