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Cincinnati natives Peyton Stearns, JJ Wolf awarded Western & Southern Open wild cards

shelby dermer, cincinnati enquirer
·3 min read
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Cincinnati natives J.J. Wolf and Peyton Stearns have both been granted main draw wild cards for the Western & Southern Open, according to a press release Monday evening.

Both have made moves up the world rankings leaderboard over the last year after standout collegiate careers.

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Stearns grew up just a few minutes down the road from the Western & Southern Open in Mason. After turning pro just over a year ago, she reached the WTA Tour final in Bogota, a quarterfinal in Austin and defeated 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez in Rabat to reach her her third career quarterfinal. The 21-year-old also made her debuts at the U.S. Open, French Open and Wimbledon and won four of the seven finals she reached on the ITF circuit. The 21-year-old upset Jelena Ostapenko in the French Open to reach the third round.

She's now ranked No. 57 in the world after being 413th a year ago.

Stearns helped lead the University of Texas to two NCAA team championships and was the first woman in program history to win the NCAA singles title before turning pro.

Peyton Stearns of the United States in action against Jelena Ostapenko.
Peyton Stearns of the United States in action against Jelena Ostapenko.

"I am super happy and excited to play at the Western & Southern Open and grateful to the tournament for giving me such an opportunity," Stearns said in a statement. "To be playing in front of the best fans just around the corner from my family home, it's a dream come true. I have so many memories from going to the matches with my parents when I was a little girl and being invited on court for a coin toss with Kim Clijsters. To be able to compete at the very same court, it's a thrill."

Wolf, a Cincinnati Country Day graduate, is ranked No. 47 and made his debuts at the Australian Open (fourth round), French Open and Wimbledon this year. He reached the semifinals in Dallas on a hard court with a win over world No. 14 Frances Tiafoe, made the quarterfinals in Houston on clay and the quarterfinals on the grass of Eastbourne.

In Italy, he reached his first ATF final in Florence last October and reached the third round at the 1000 Masters clay court event in Rome this year, defeating world No. 15 Hubert Hurkacz.

Wolf was an All-American at Ohio State and the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2019 before turning pro. He reached his first main draw on the ATP Tour at the 2020 Western & Southern Open after being granted a wild card into the qualifying tournament and winning two rounds.

JJ Wolf, of Cincinnati, Ohio, serves in the first round of qualifying at the 2020 Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Wolf won his first two qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main draw.
JJ Wolf, of Cincinnati, Ohio, serves in the first round of qualifying at the 2020 Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Wolf won his first two qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main draw.

"I'm thrilled to be participating, and extremely appreciative to the Western & Southern Open for the opportunity to compete in the main draw of the tournament," Wolf said in a statement. "This event means so much to me as I used to go to this tournament when I was a kid and I can't wait to be back competing in front of all of my family and fans. Looking forward to seeing everyone out there. 513 forever!"

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Western & Southern Open wild cards awarded to two Cincinnati natives