Clara Tauson launches huge comeback to move past Payton Stearns in titanic battle

[p]Tennis player [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tauson-clara/2PPTHPya/"]Clara Tauson[/a] has advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, USA. Early Sunday morning CET, the 23-year-old Dane defeated American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stearns-peyton/YsJXLo1O/"]Peyton Stearns[/a] 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.[/p][p]Tauson, who received a bye in the first round, immediately ran into trouble against her opponent—who is one year older and ranked number 53 in the world.[/p][p]The Dane, ranked number 42 globally, fell behind 0-3 against Stearns. Clara Tauson managed to turn things around, winning the next three games to level the score at 3-3.[/p][p]The Dane also later had to get herself out of trouble when she saved three set points held by the American to tie the score at 5-5, before breaking Stearns' serve to take a 6-5 lead.[/p][p]The Dane then had the chance to serve out the first set, but in a lengthy game where Tauson held two set points, Peyton Stearns managed to break serve to make it 6-6.[/p][p]The set went to a tiebreak, which turned into a real nail-biter after Stearns took a 6-3 lead. The American squandered three set points, and Tauson won the tiebreak 9-7.[/p][image alt="Peyton Stearns and Clara Tauson of Denmark shake hands after the match" id="7235d691-7b24-430a-b3ff-cfc60661f84f" credit-line="Credit: Shaina Benhiyoun / Zuma Press / Profimedia" guid="329e073c-41f7-4831-b492-43d16852e1db" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]In the second set, the Dane took a 1-0 lead, but things then went completely wrong for Tauson. She lost the next six games, forcing the match into a deciding third set.[/p][p]Things looked bleak for Tauson in the third set as well, as she quickly fell behind 0-2. This meant the Dane had lost eight consecutive games before finally sparking some hope by narrowing the gap to 1-2. Peyton Stearns won the next two games, and with a 4-1 lead, an American victory seemed likely. However, Tauson dug deep and staged a strong comeback.[/p][p]A service break brought her to 3-4, and she subsequently held serve to level the score at 4-4, making it an even contest. Stearns edged ahead 5-4, but Clara Tauson produced a powerful finish, winning the final three games to secure the match.[/p][p]In the third round, the Dane will face Czech player [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noskova-linda/zHMiAkw6/"]Linda Noskova[/a], who is ranked eighth in the world.[/p][p]In Cincinnati, Tauson aims to accumulate ranking points to improve her world ranking of No. 42 ahead of the US Open Grand Slam tournament, where only the top 32 players are seeded.[/p][p]The WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati is the final major event before the US Open, which begins in two weeks.[/p]