British tennis player Harriet Dart secured her first major singles victory in more than a year and a half by overcoming America's Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the US Open on Monday.

The 30-year-old qualifier turned the match around after dropping the first set and falling behind early in the second, ultimately triumphing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The hard-fought contest at Flushing Meadows lasted a little under two and a half hours and advanced Dart to the second round in New York for the third time in her career.

Prior to this victory, the world number 131 had not won a main-draw match at a Grand Slam tournament since the Australian Open in early 2025. Her journey through the major championships since that time had proven difficult, including missing out on qualification for four of the subsequent six Grand Slam events and suffering early exits at Wimbledon during the past two seasons.

Dart also had to battle through a demanding qualification path in New York, where she was pushed to three sets in all three of her preliminary matches. Monday's contest followed a similar pattern of resilience, as she fell behind a set and a break against her higher-ranked opponent before mounting a comeback. Stearns applied heavy pressure throughout the match, accumulating numerous winners alongside a high count of unforced errors that ultimately aided Dart's recovery.

Following a nervous finish that saw her convert her fourth match point, an emotional Dart ran to celebrate her victory with her coaching staff. Her team now features former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli, a partnership that began prior to the French Open earlier in the year. Dart has credited the former major winner with bringing exceptional tactical insight and high-level tennis intelligence to her training.

This latest success adds to a positive summer stretch for the British player, which included reaching the quarter-finals at a Challenger event in Vancouver and successfully qualifying for the main draw in Cincinnati. With the opening-round hurdle cleared, Dart moves forward to face 25th seed Marie Bouzkova in the next round. She is joined in the second round of the tournament by fellow Britons Katie Boulter and Toby Samuel.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.