Peyton Stearns ended Naomi Osaka's winning streak on clay to book her place in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Monday. (More Tennis News)
After a mammoth 83-minute third set in which Stearns held her nerve to come from behind in the tie-break, she earned a 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-4) victory in two hours and 43 minutes.
Osaka struggled to find her rhythm early on, with Stearns going a break up in the third game to help her race into a 3-1 lead.
The Japanese attempted a late fightback, forcing a break point at 5-4, but Stearns stood firm, taking the first set.
There was little to split the pair in the second, which was interrupted at 2-2 by the Italian air force's national demonstration team, the Frecce Tricolori.
Osaka found the edge in the penultimate game, though, as she got the only break point of the set to take the lead before serving to love to force the decider.바카라 웹사이트She flew out of the blocks then, winning the first two games, but Stearns quickly wiped out her advantage before they traded blows.
With the set finely poised at 4-4, Osaka then forced five break points without converting, but eventually held out to take it to a tie-break, which she started strongly, breezing into a 4-2 lead.
However, Stearns won the next five points in a row as the 27-year-old's frustration continued to grow, with Osaka's shot into the net바카라 웹사이트ensuring the American will face either Elina Svitolina or Danielle Collins in the last eight.바카라 웹사이트
Data Debrief: 'Clayomi' hits roadblock
Having won her first clay in Saint Malo, Osaka was on a roll on the surface, racking up an eight-match winning streak, but a third consecutive comeback proved beyond her.
Stearns dug deep to see out the win, though, and became the first player in the Open Era to win back-to-back matches at the Italian Open via tie-break, having beaten Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the previous round.
The 23-year-old has now ousted a second straight grand slam champion to reach her first career WTA 1000 quarter-final바카라 웹사이트
