Peyton Stearns says lack of crowd support vs Williams sisters 'stung'

Peyton Stearns, a native of Mason and a doubles player alongside Marta Kostyuk, upset the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, during the Cincinnati Open WTA doubles tournament. Following the match, Stearns, now 24, expressed her desire for her hometown crowd to provide more enthusiastic support for her. She remarked that playing in her hometown was "awesome" and hoped that the next round would see more cheering from the audience.

Stearns felt that the presence of just a few family and friends in their box was disappointing, especially considering the significance of competing in her own community. Despite her disappointment, Stearns requested her supporters to "give us some love" in the upcoming match. This sophomore season for Stearns saw her finish with a 33-2 overall record in singles play while attending the University of Texas as a Longhorn.

In 2023, she achieved a notable feat by reaching the third round of the French Open women's singles tournament, where she defeated Jelena Ostapenko in an upset, marking her first victory against a Top 20 player. Stearns, who resided just five miles from the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, made her first appearance at the Cincinnati Open tournament in August 2021 as a wild card and finished as a qualifier in the women's singles match against Su-Wei Hsieh.