Stearns said it was tough out there, but always nice to get her first win of the year.
“She [Krejčíková] won the first set, and then in the second she was right there. It’s very easy to get upset or frustrated in those moments, and I felt myself getting a little of that. I had to calm myself down and remind myself that even though the score was 6–1, the games were still really close. There were lots of 40–30s and ad points, so I just focused on one point at a time, cutting errors and making her work a little more. That’s what I did in the third set, and it paid off.”
Stearns, despite dropping the second set, took the win 6-4, 1-6, 7(7)-6(4). Noting that she made a few errors, Stearns was able to limit the damage and eventually adapt to the conditions.
“Early on I won only about 33% of my second-serve points, but that improved in the second and third sets. I’ve been working on my serve a lot. Today my first serve felt pretty good, so I just want to keep building off that and keep swinging. The wind definitely makes it tricky: you toss the ball and sometimes have to catch it a few times before hitting. It makes it tougher for everyone and leads to more errors. You just have to manage your margins and focus on your own game,” Stearns said.
Despite the loss, Krejčíková was positive.
“I think it was a really good match and very tight overall. It was my first time playing here and I think we were both battling the conditions. The match was quite up and down, but in the end I think it was a really good night of tennis,” she said.
“Every match I play right now feels important because I’m learning from each one. Today was another match where I can take positives, learn a few things, and just move forward from there.”
Krejčíková will now head to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open next week. She believes her first time in Hobart has set her up well for the tournament. A fan favourite, the crowd showed her their support throughout the match, something she appreciated.
“The crowd was really, really nice. I’m very grateful for the support, they created a great atmosphere, gave us good energy, and I really appreciate them cheering us on.”
Stearns will now meet Olga Danilovic (SRB) in the next round on Wednesday night.