Marketa Vondrousova survives inspired American Peyton Stearns at 2023 US Open

FLASHBACK: Vondrousova encountered all kinds of emotions in the wake of her surprise Wimbledon victory.

NEW YORK—Marketa Vondrousova encountered her first test of the 2023 US Open and passed with flying colors, rallying from a set down to subdue an inspired Peyton Stearns, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2 to reach her first quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows.

The reigning Wimbledon champion has now won 11 straight Grand Slam main draw matches; after not dropping a set in the first week, Vondrousova recovered from a slow start to edge into the last eight after two hours and 10 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“She started, you know, very well,” Vondrousova said in her post-match press conference. “She was just smashing the ball everywhere, making me run so much. I feel like she actually played, you know, a great match. So I just had to fight, you know, till the very end.”

Seeded ninth in her fifth US Open main draw, Vondrousova had only been past the second round once in four previous appearances, but has been in the midst of a summer renaissance since shocking the tennis world by winning her first Grand Slam title.

Stringing together solid performances at the Omnium Banque Nationale and the Western & Southern Open—where she played world No. 1 Iga Swiatek tough in the quarterfinals—Vondrousova lost just 10 games through her first three matches, crushing No. 22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the second week of her second straight major tournament.

“It means everything, because after Wimby, the first tournaments I was feeling nervous. I wanted to play good,” she said. “I wanted to win some back-to-back matches. I actually didn't expect that because I feel like it's a very tough position, also it's a lot of pressure.

“I'm just very happy that I hold my nerves and everything, and, you know, I'm just trying to keep my tennis. I'm just very grateful to be here.”

But as under the radar as Vondrousova has been, American challenger Peyton Stearns risked utter anonymity in the wake of what has been a wildly successful tournament for local favorites. While Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton have been shining on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Stearns, a former college player for the University of Texas at Austin who won the NCAA Division I Women’s Singles National Championships in 2022, has been toiling away on the grounds. Still, she proven about as efficient as Vondrousova, easing through a section of the draw that included talented Dane Clara Tauson.

The 21-year-old got her first taste of the spotlight in the third round when she toppled Great Britain’s Katie Boulter on Court 17, but adjusted to Armstrong’s significantly bigger stage with aplomb, racing ahead 4-1 against a flat-footed Vondrousova.

Though Vondrousova clawed back to level the opening set in a tiebreaker, Stearns took control in the Sudden Death and brought the stadium to its feet as she appeared poised to join fellow Americans Gauff and Madison Keys in the last eight.

Vondrousova ultimately settled from there, emerging from a break-heavy second set to take control of the third. The crafty lefty weathered a late surge from Stearns, who grabbed back one of the two breaks, to nonetheless to find herself ahead 5-1 with the American serving to stay in the match. Though Stearns kept the pressure on, Vondrousova served out the match with few issues to put herself into a third career Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Awaiting her there will be 2017 finalist Keys, who stunned No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium. But concerns about Vondrousova's fitness were sparked soon after the match when cameras caught her with ice wrapped around her elbow, having just decided to withdraw from her doubles match with Barbora Strycova, whom she was scheduled to partner later on Monday.

“It actually started the match before in the third round,” she said, pulling out on the advice of her coach to optimize her preparation for singles. “Yeah, I mean, I played tough matches. The season is very long, and I feel like the balls are not helping, you know, with everything.

“Of course, it was a bit sad. I cried a bit when I told Barbora. I had so many injuries that I don't want to, you know, play with some more. She's a great person, you know, so she told me, It's okay.

I was, like, ‘It's your last tournament. I don't want to do it.’

She was, like, ‘Okay, we have to play 100% or we don't play.’ So it was okay.”