The perfect itinerary: Stearns' 3 favorite food spots in Austin

Peyton Stearns knows a thing or two about Austin.

The 24-year-old starred for the University of Texas for two years, and in 2022 made history as the first Longhorns player to win the NCAA Division 1 singles title.

She's also played the ATX Open every year since its inception in 2023, and has the fond memory of winning her first career WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz match at this tournament, a thrilling 7-6 (5), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5) victory over Katie Boulter.

So when Stearns talks about Austin, we listen.

After her come-from-behind win over Francesca Jones on Tuesday, the World No. 62 was asked to provide her three favorite food spots in Austin.

Stearns proceeded to give a little itinerary for visitors. She recommended starting the day at Jo's Coffee, then heading to Terry Black's Barbecue for the signature brisket. And then, after dinner, she pointed fans to Amy's Ice Creams for dessert. (Luckily for fans in attendance, Amy's Ice Creams is readily available at the Westwood Country Club.)

It got dicey there a bit for the home favorite in her opening-round match. Stearns, seeded fourth, dropped the first set 6-3 but took control thereafter, losing just five games in the next two sets for the 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

Next up for Stearns is Slovenian Kaja Juvan, who defeated Claire Liu 6-4, 7-6 (1) in her opening-round match. This will be their first career meeting.

If Stearns gets past Juvan, she would play either Kamilla Rakhimova or Oksana Selekhmeteva in the quarterfinals. 

Stearns is also in the doubles draw, teaming with Venus Williams. They're playing top-seeded Taylor Townsend and Storm Hunter on Wednesday. 

With defending champion Jessica Pegula withdrawing from the tournament with a left knee injury, 18-year-old American Iva Jovic is the highest remaining seed at the WTA 250 event.