"I just got to win again" - Peyton Stearns on resetting after Danielle Collins-esque premature celebration blunder for crucial French Open 1R win
Peyton Stearns opened up on her premature celebration at her match against Lucija Ciric Bagaric in the first round of the 2024 French Open. The celebration was reminiscent of what Danielle Collins did back in 2023 at the Australian Open.
Stearns faced a challenging start to her Roland-Garros campaign against Lucija Ciric Bagaric. Despite initially breezing past the Croatian with a dominant first set, the American encountered difficulty in the next two sets. Ciric Bagaric fought back, winning the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6(8). Stearns' four consecutive faults added to her struggles.
The match's main highlight came in the third set, where Stearns trailed by breaks at 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3. She mistakenly celebrated, thinking she had won seven points in the tiebreaker. Realizing her error, Stearns collected herself to continue playing and ultimately did secure the set and the match.
Following the match Stearns explained in an interview that after celebrating prematurely, she quickly refocused, realizing she had to win the match again. After failing to seal the deal in several match points in the second set, she managed to recover swiftly and maintain her composure, even after her mistaken celebration, ultimately securing victory in the third set.
"You know I was like okay I guess I just got to win again. Because I had so many match points there in the second set that I think I was able to bounce back pretty quickly from that."
This was not the first time when a player mistakenly celebrated before the match was over. During the 2023 Australian Open, Danielle Collins prematurely celebrated by throwing her racquet in what she thought was a tiebreaker and match victory at 7-3 against Karolina Muchova.
However, the chair umpire reminded her that she required ten points in the final set tiebreaker. Collins then quickly refocused and also prevailed eventually.
Peyton Stearns won her first title just days before French Open 2024
Peyton Stearns recently secured her first WTA title at the Grand Prix Son Atesse Royale La Princesse Lalla Meryem. The 22-year-old convincingly defeated Mayar Sherif 6-2, 6-1 in the final to achieve this career milestone. She dominated the opening set without facing a breakpoint and maintained her momentum in the second set, despite Sherif earning four break points.
Additionally, her celebration with a handstand after receiving the trophy turned heads and captivated the audience.
Stearns will face Daria Kasatkina in the second round at French Open. The American is looking to bag her first Major.