Brad Gilbert is not only a former tennis player, but he is also the man behind the rise of several youngsters like Coco Gauff. In fact, he is also the author of the book ‘Winning Ugly.’ According to his mantra for success, “To be a great player and to be a successful player, you always have to figure out how to win matches when things aren’t going well.” Talking about ‘Winning Ugly,’ well, the 23-year-old American tennis star, Peyton Stearns, has been doing a similar thing repeatedly at the Italian Open this year. Stearns is now making a name for herself in the tennis world by frequently winning matches in third-set tiebreakers. Her resilience and her incredible ability to perform under pressure in tight matches have now become the talk of the town. Recently, her rare feat in Rome drew reactions from Gauff’s former coach, Gilbert. What is that record, and what did the renowned coach say about this to the youngster?

Peyton Stearns loves breaking records! She played college tennis for the Texas Longhorns, and in 2022, she became the first Texas player to become the NCAA champion in women’s tennis. Over the years, she has made massive strides in her career, and now at the Italian Open, she is now being called the lethal ‘Giant-Killer’! Why? Stearns (42) defeated the 2025 AO champion Madison Keys in the R32 by a three-set thriller, and then in her next match, she defeated the former world number one Naomi Osaka by 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in a grueling 2 hours and 41 minutes battle! Then again, in the QF, she came back from the jaws of defeat to outshine the two-time champion, Elina Svitona, by 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4).

With this victory, Peyton Stearns has now become the first player to win three WTA-level matches in a row via a third-set tiebreak during the Open Era. After witnessing Stearns’ astonishing feat in Rome, Brad Gilbert dropped a tweet hailing her brilliance by saying, “Holy Toledo 3 straight 7-6 in the 3rd wins for Peyton Place, wonder 💭 the last time that happened in @WTA event @BastienFachan @Parsa_Nemati.“

Interestingly, both Stearns and Gauff may cross paths with each other at the Italian Open. But before that, Peyton Stearns has to overcome a massive hurdle in the SF. Who is her next opponent?

Peyton Stearns gears up to face the home-favorite Jasmine Paolini in the SF 

Peyton Stearns has never faced Jasmine Paolini in her career, but she’s ready to face whatever comes her way in this epic battle. Paolini started her campaign strongly, defeating all three of her opponents in straight sets, but in her previous match against Diana Shnaider, she faced a bit of a scare after losing the first set to the Russian. 

With this win against Shnaider, Paolini has now become the first Italian player to reach this stage since her doubles partner Sara Errani (2014). Paolini has received a lot of support from the crowd throughout her matches, and in fact, in her previous match, there was a moment when her opponent, Shnaider, was spotted engaging in an argument with the crowd, making gestures and yelling at them. However, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen these during a match featuring an Italian in this tournament in 2025.

Previously, even Daniil Medvedev was seen silencing the crowd with a daring hand gesture during his R16 match against Lorenzo Sonego. Not only that, even Alex de Minaur was forced to make a pause before a serve in his second-round match against Luca Nardi to confront two hostile spectators in the stand. Highlighting all these moments, one may wonder if Peyton Stearns is ready to receive a similar hostile atmosphere in her next match.

Well, in reply to a similar question during her post-match on-court interview, Stearns said, “I don’t expect many people to be cheering for me. But that’s ok, I played college tennis so… I’m used to it.” With her win against Svitolina, Peyton Stearns has now also become the first player to make it to the SF at her Rome main draw debut since Daria Saville (2015).

The American must be a bit relieved to get a day off between matches after her grueling previous rounds. Can she take full advantage of this and keep her winning run intact here?