Peyton Stearns shrugged off an interruption from the Frecce Tricolori to notch a second straight third-set tiebreak win over a Grand Slam champion, defeating Naomi Osaka to reach the Internazionali BNL d’Italia quarterfinals.
The unseeded American went on to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4), ousting a second straight Grand Slam champion to make her first career WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
The unscheduled visit by the Frecce Tricolori, the Italian air force’s national demonstration team, didn’t put Stearns off for long — nor affect a contest that turned into a 2-hour, 41-minute barnburner.
Stearns, who had also upset Australian Open winner Madison Keys in a third-set tiebreak in the third round, ended Saint-Malo WTA 125 champion Osaka’s eight-match winning streak. The No. 42-ranked American has been thriving on red clay since partnering with new coach Blaz Kavcic ahead of Madrid, where she reached the last 16.
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