Longhorns Alum Peyton Stearns Wins 2nd WTA Title at ATX Open

Stearns beats Taylor Townsend in the final, giving a shoutout to her alma mater Texas Longhorns

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Peyton Stearns, a former Texas Longhorns athlete, defeated fellow American Taylor Townsend in the ATX Open final on Sunday to claim her first WTA title of the year. Stearns, who has a longstanding relationship with Austin, Texas, gave a special shoutout to her alma mater during her winning speech, saying it was "nice for a Longhorn to finally win this tournament."

Why it matters

Stearns' victory represents a full-circle moment for the former Longhorns athlete, as she was able to win a WTA title in the city where she represented her college team. Her shoutout to the Longhorns also highlights the strong connection between the university's athletics program and the local community in Austin.

The details

Stearns had to fight hard for the victory, as Townsend gave it her all in her maiden WTA singles final. However, Stearns prevailed in straight sets. After the match, the crowd rallied behind Stearns, who received a cowboy hat as a token of respect for winning the ATX Open alongside the trophy, 250 ranking points, and $37,390 in prize money.

  • Peyton Stearns defeated Taylor Townsend in the ATX Open final on Sunday, March 2, 2026.

The players

Peyton Stearns

A former Texas Longhorns athlete who won her first WTA title of the year at the ATX Open in Austin.

Taylor Townsend

An American tennis player who reached her maiden WTA singles final at the ATX Open, but lost to Peyton Stearns in straight sets.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, from the first match, I said it would be nice for a Longhorn to win this tournament finally. Yeah, it's kinda nice. I wanna congratulate Taylor. You had an amazing week this week. It's not over. She's got doubles after this. Hopefully, y'all can stick around and cheer her on. That would be awesome.”

— Peyton Stearns (The Tennis Letter)

“Thank you to my family over here. The Texas Townsends, my godmother's over there. Supercoach AJ, he got me through this week. I just feel really fortunate. I'm really blessed to be standing here, after 15 years on tour, to be accomplishing this feat. I'm gonna continue to build on it. I'm not done.”

— Taylor Townsend (The Tennis Letter)

What’s next

Peyton Stearns will now shift her focus to the Indian Wells Open, where she starts her journey in the main draw. Taylor Townsend, on the other hand, must go through the qualifiers in hopes of advancing to the main draw and competing with the top seeds in women's tennis.

The takeaway

Peyton Stearns' victory at the ATX Open represents a proud moment for the Texas Longhorns community, as one of their own athletes was able to win a WTA title in the city where she represented her alma mater. This achievement highlights the strong connection between the university's athletics program and the local Austin community.