Peyton Stearns pulled off the first major upset of the 2024 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, defeating No. 5 seed Madison Keys 2–6, 6–2, 7–6(3) in a gritty comeback to reach the Round of 16 for the second straight WTA 1000 tournament.
Stearns will next face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. The 23-year-old also won their only previous meeting in Toronto last year, although that match ended in retirement when Keys withdrew in the third set due to a leg injury.
This time, Stearns finished the job. She notched her second career Top 10 victory, following her upset of Zheng Qinwen in Dubai earlier this year. After falling behind early, she rallied strongly, especially in the final-set tiebreak, where a clever drop shot followed by a passing shot gave her a 5–3 lead she wouldn’t let go.
Stearns, now at a career-high No. 42 in the PIF WTA Rankings, is finding her best form on red clay — a surface that once felt foreign to her. Growing up on indoor hard courts in Cincinnati, she disliked green clay as a junior and never expected to thrive on any clay surface. But over time, she embraced red clay, learning how to slide and make the most of her heavy topspin forehand.
“I used to hate clay courts,” she admitted. “But now, I’ve learned how to use the surface to my advantage.”
Her results back that up. She reached the finals in Bogotá in 2023, won her first WTA title in Rabat, and is fresh off a fourth-round run in Madrid, where she also took down Amanda Anisimova.
A big part of her recent surge has been the addition of new coach Blaz Kavcic. After her former coach Tom Hill left to rejoin Maria Sakkari in April, Stearns jokingly announced her search on social media: “Looking for a new coach … DMs are open.”
Though the post drew some humorous replies, her new partnership formed through a more traditional route — a mutual friend introduced her to Kavcic, a former ATP player. He had recently become available after parting ways with Max Purcell, who was suspended due to a doping violation.
Stearns and Kavcic started working together just before Madrid, and she quickly felt the impact.
“The results show, of course,” she said. “But also, my happiness and motivation on court are so much higher. He’s brought a spark and helped fine-tune key parts of my game.”
She said she didn’t need long to decide.
“Even before my first match, I told him, ‘You’re hired, I like you!’ We work really well together. He wants to work hard — and so do I.”
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