On Sunday, March 1, 2026, Peyton Stearns won her second WTA title at the Austin Open 2026 in Austin, Texas. Fourth seed Steams defeated Taylor Townsend by sets of 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 in a two-hour and 22-minute match. Townsend, who is a former World No. 1 in women’s doubles, suffered defeat in her first WTA singles final match. Stearns is a college-level player at the University of Texas at Austin.
In the opening match, Townsend tried to break down Stearns who in turn got herself some set points in the ninth game but was again broken in the 10th leading to a tiebreaker. Townsend defended with four set points and got one more before Stearns won the first set.
In the second set, both were tied at 4-4 at the start after four breaks, but Stearns managed to get a decisive lead by 6-5. Steams, who is ranked 62nd in the world, earned her title after lifting the clay court trophy that she won in 2024 in Rabat.
Cristina Bucsa wins first career WTA title
Elsewhere on Sunday, Spain’s Cristina Bucsa won her first WTA title on Sunday after defeating Poland’s Magdalena Frech by sets of 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the finals match of the hardcourt tournament in Merida, Mexico.
In the opening set, Busca was strong-headed from the start, which resulted in her winning the first three games then recovering from a break in the fourth game and adding three more points to seal the round. Frech, on the other hand, struggled to score, claiming only a single point.
In the second set, Frech made a strong comeback while Bucsa made multiple errors. That resulted in her loss at the start of the set at 0-3 but the Polish player broke down in the fourth game. Bucsa was fighting for a comeback in the ninth game, and went on to win after Frech ended up performing two double faults.
The 63rd-ranked success in the event saw her first victory over a top-10 player like seventh-seed Jasmine Paolini in the semi-final. In addition to that, she made it to her second career finals appearance without losing a set.
