Peyton Stearns offers fan wearing an 'iconic' 'Peytonista' headband a ticket to her match against Emma Raducanu at Citi Open 2024
Peyton Stearns found a fan wearing a headband that read 'Peytonista' and offered them a ticket to her upcoming match against Emma Raducanu. Stearns will take on Emma Raducanu in the round of 16 encounter at the Citi Open.
Stearns is participating at the Citi Open in Washington DC. She played her first game in the WTA 500 event against compatriot Clervie Ngounoue on Tuesday, July 30. The 22-year-old won the match convincingly 6-3, 7-6(3).
In the stands at the John A Harris Grandstand, a fan was backing Stearns wearing a headband that read 'Peytonista'. The American took to her X account to post an image of the fan wearing the headband and wrote:
"Whoever this is if you need a ticket to my match tmrrw lmk… iconic headband."
Peyton Stearns is set to take on 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu in the round of 16 at the Citi Open on Wednesday, July 31. The American has had a season of ups and downs this year but her highest point was winning her maiden WTA title.
At the WTA 250 event in Rabat, Morocco, known as the 2024 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Stearns put up an impressive show to win the title. She defeated defending champion and fourth seed Lucia Bronzetti and Egyptian Mayar Sherif on her way to the title.
She also reached the third round of the French Open for the second consecutive time. However, most recently, she was the third seed at the Palermo Ladies Open but faced defeat in the first round against compatriot Ann Li. With her participation at the event in Washington DC, Stearns has begun her hard court swing.
Peyton Stearns and Emma Raducanu's Citi Open RO16 match will be their first encounter on tour
Emma Raducanu has been gradually building her form this season after multiple breaks due to surgery in the past two years. The Brit burst onto the scene when she won the US Open title in 2021 as a qualifier but could not continue her momentum due to injuries.
In the grasscourt season this year, Raducanu reached the semifinals of the Rothesay Open in Nottingham and followed it up with a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon - her best Grand Slam performance since winning the 2021 US Open.
The 21-year-old missed the 2024 Paris Olympics to participate in the Citi Open. She defeated eighth seed Elise Mertens in the first round 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. In the round of 16 at the Citi Open, Raducanu will go up against Peyton Stearns in their first-ever encounter on tour.