Former UT Legend Stearns Returning to ATX Open

NCAA Champion Was WTA Newcomer of the Year Nominee in 2023; Joins Azarenka, Collins, Jimenez Kasintseva, Stephens & Tomljanovic in Field

AUSTIN, Texas – Peyton Stearns, who led the University of Texas to back-to-back NCAA team titles, will return to play the second ATX Open when the Hologic WTA Tour 250 event is held Feb 24-March 3 at Westwood Country Club.

In 2023, Stearns was nominated for WTA Newcomer of the Year honors after a season that included breaking out at the inaugural ATX Open where she recorded her first career WTA Tour match win and reached her first tour quarterfinal.

“To come back and play in Austin was amazing,” Stearns said. “Austin is my second home. The atmosphere was crazy. It was almost like back in a college match. I absolutely loved it. The biggest thing I look forward to in returning to Austin for the ATX Open in playing is front of a home crowd.”

Following her success in Austin, Stearns went on to reach her first WTA Tour final in April at Bogota, Colombia, then reached her third quarterfinal of the season at Rabat, Morocco. On top of those WTA wins, Stearns was 20-3 at ITF events in the season’s first four months, winning a pair of titles and finishing as runner-up at two other tournaments. Stearns also saw success at Grand Slams, reaching the third round at the French Open and fourth round at the US Open, which helped her obtain a career high ranking of No. 43 in the fall.

At UT, the two-time All-American Stearns helped the Longhorns win NCAA team titles in 2021 and 2022. She also won the NCAA singles championship in 2022 before turning pro that summer.

“We are delighted Peyton will be coming back to Austin to take part in the ATX Open,” said Tournament Director Christo Van Rensburg. “Peyton did a fantastic job following up her great UT career with a very successful first full season on the WTA Tour. We are thrilled with the player commitments we have to date and are eager for this strong field of WTA stars to compete in Austin next month.”

Joining Stearns at the 2024 ATX Open will be a pair of Grand Slam champions, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens, as well as Danielle Collins, Ajla Tomljanovic and Victoria Jiminez Kasintseva.

Azarenka is a two-time Australian Open champion and former World No. 1. The winner of 21 career titles, she’s also been a finalist on 20 occasions, including three times at the US Open. Azarenka has also won a pair of Olympic medals in her career, claiming gold in mixed doubles and bronze in singles at the 2012 London Games.

Collins was a semifinalist at the inaugural ATX Open. A two-time WTA title winner, she reached a career high ranking of No. 7 following a run to the 2022 Australian Open final. During her college career, she won a pair of NCAA singles titles at the University of Virginia.

Jimenez Kasintseva is an 18-year-old who earned an ATX Open wild card by winning November’s DropShot Series H-E-B Women’s Pro Tennis Open in Austin. The first player from Andorra to play on the WTA Tour, she was the 2020 Australian Open junior champion when she was just 14-years-old.

Stephens reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles at the first ATX Open. She boasts a career high ranking of No. 3 and has won seven career titles, including the 2017 US Open. She also has reached the finals at the French Open and the WTA Finals.

Tomljanovic has reached the quarterfinals at three Grand Slam events during her career, including at the 2022 US Open where she topped Serena Williams in what was the 23-time Major champion’s final career match. Over the past two seasons, Tomljanovic has been a featured player in the Netflix series “Break Point.”

The full player list for the 2024 ATX Open will be released later this month.

The second edition of the ATX Open will feature several changes, including additional seating around Center Court, expanded hospitality offerings in several locations, the new Cadillac Club offering views of Grandstand Court, additional special events, and a new opening weekend featuring qualifying matches and other activities to kick off tournament week. Tickets are on sale now at www.atxopen.com/tickets.