Peyton Stearns defeated Taylor Townsend 7-6(8), 7-5 on Sunday to win the 2026 ATX Open in Austin, with the University of Texas product capturing her second-career WTA singles title in the two-hour, 22-minute final.
Stearns, currently ranked No. 53, overcame early deficits against the world No. 87, with the left-hander leading for almost the entire first set while holding two set points on Stearns's serve at 5-3. However, Stearns saved both opportunities to stay alive.
Townsend also earned a set point in the tiebreak, before Stearns fought back to eventually win the set on her fifth opportunity at 8-8 in the breaker.
The second set saw Townsend twice erase break deficits, standing two points from forcing a deciding set. Instead, Stearns held serve from 40-0 down at 5-5 after her fellow US star pushed the game to deuce. That crucial hold sparked a three-game run that sealed Stearns's title.
The loss marked Townsend's first WTA singles final appearance after winning the 2024 Wimbledon doubles title alongside Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.
Meanwhile, Stearns reached her first tour-level singles final in nearly two years, with the 2022 NCAA champion last contesting a final at the 2024 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem. The 24-year-old fought through adversity all tournament, losing the opening set of her first Austin match and winning three consecutive three-setters before the final.
Taylor Townsend went on to secure Sunday's ATX Open doubles title alongside Storm Hunter, as the top seeds defeated Eudice Chong and Liang En-shuo 6-3, 6-4.
