American tennis star Peyton Stearns delivered one of the most dramatic victories of her career at the 2024 Italian Open. She overcame four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in a grueling three-set battle, but the triumph came at a physical cost.
Moments after sealing the win in a nail-biting tiebreak, Stearns was visibly unwell, leaning on a courtside trashcan and eventually vomiting near her bench. Despite the exhaustion and illness, she kept her composure to defeat the former World No. 1 and secure a spot in her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
Peyton Stearns Powers Into Quarterfinals During First Rome Appearance
Stearns, 23, is currently making her debut appearance at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome. The American bulldozed through her early rounds, taking out Italy’s Nuria Brancaccio, 28th seed Anna Kalinskaya, and fifth seed Madison Keys, before taking on Osaka.
The match lasted two hours and 41 minutes, and both women pushed each other to their limits. However, Stearns emerged victorious with a gutsy performance under extreme physical duress.
The World No. 42 appeared physically spent as she leaned on a courtside trashcan and vomited just minutes after her victory. Stearns had already been sick prior to the decisive final-set tiebreak and showed clear signs of nausea before the final tie-break.
Watch the video here:
Peyton Stearns threw up immediately after her win over Naomi Osaka.
She also threw up before the 3rd set tiebreak.
It took a special kind of effort to get over the line today.
Warrior. 🇺🇸❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 12, 2025
In her on-court interview after the match, Stearns admitted that her biggest challenge wasn’t Osaka, it was her own body.
“I think the tiebreaker, I was just trying not to throw up in the middle of the court,” she said. “I wasn’t feeling the best but I dug so deep. I don’t think I’ve dug that deep in a while. So it was a great match.”
The effects of her condition lingered beyond the singles court. Stearns was also competing in the doubles draw alongside Daria Kasatkina and had advanced to the Round of 16.
However, the pair were forced to withdraw before their scheduled match against top seeds Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski, granting a walkover to the Canadian-Kiwi duo due to Stearns’ continued illness. In singles, she will next face either 16th seed Elina Svitolina or 29th seed Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals.
Peyton Stearns Ended Naomi Osaka’s Eight Match Winning Streak in Rome
Naomi Osaka arrived in Rome riding the momentum from her recent triumph at the WTA 125 L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo, where she claimed her first title in four years, and her first-ever on clay. The match against Peyton Stearns marked their first-ever encounter on the WTA Tour.
