American tennis player Peyton Stearns earned a huge win on Monday at the Italian Open – but it came at a price as she became sick after the match.
Stearns outlasted Naomi Osaka 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in a two hour, 42-minute marathon of a contest in sunny Rome.
But after securing the win to reach the quarterfinal round of the tournament, Stearns immediately vomited on the side of the court.
The 23-year-old, who had been seen cramping towards the end of the match, also threw up before the third set tiebreak.
‘I think in the tiebreak I was just trying not to throw up in the middle of the court,’ she said afterwards in an on-court interview.
‘I wasn’t feeling the best. But I dug so deep. I don’t think I’ve dug that deep in a while.’
Peyton Stearns vomited immediately after earning a win on Monday at the Italian Open
Stearns was visibly ill during the match, which ran nearly three hours in sunny Rome
Stearns then withdrew from her scheduled doubles match alongside Russian-Australian Daria Kasatkina,citing gastrointestinal illness.
That illness seems to be an ongoing issue for the American, as she also referenced it in February.
‘Highly don’t recommend having a GI illness & playing 2 matches in a day… not a good combo,’ she wrote, along with a photo of her laying on the ground.
However, she appears to be in good spirits following her win on Monday, as she actually posted the video of her vomiting, along with a dog emoji and brick emoji.
Monday’s loss will be tough to swallow for Osaka, who led 4-2 in the tiebreak before ultimately dropping the match.
Stearns, meanwhile, has now made a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for the second time.
She will face either Danielle Collins or Elina Svitolina in her next match.
Stearns outlasted Naomi Osaka to reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for just the second time
Osaka held a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak before missing a backhand and ultimately losing the match
The 23-year-old Stearns, the world No. 42, has wasted little time making her mark in tennis after winning a college national championship at Texas.
Since turning pro in 2022, Stearns has compiled a 9-8 record at Grand Slams, including a career-best run to the US Open fourth round in 2023.
Stearns made it to the third round of the French Open and US Open last year.
Aside from beating four-time Grand Slam champ Osaka, Stearns also earned an impressive victory a round earlier when she took down world no. 6 and fellow American Madison Keys.