After Thrilling Battle with Peyton Stearns, Naomi Osaka Knocked Out of Italian Open

Four-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka’s impressive clay-court run came to a dramatic end at the Italian Open on Monday, as she fell to American rising star Peyton Stearns in a tense three-set encounter.

The match, which lasted two hours and 43 minutes, saw Stearns prevail 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal on clay.

Osaka entered the fourth-round clash on the back of an eight-match winning streak — the longest of her career on clay. The Japanese star had been enjoying a strong resurgence this season, adjusting well to the demands of the slower surface.

However, the 23-year-old Stearns, ranked 42nd in the world, proved a formidable opponent, overcoming both physical adversity and Osaka’s aggressive baseline play.

In a tightly contested first set, Stearns capitalized on Osaka’s unforced errors and showcased her trademark powerful groundstrokes to secure a crucial break. Osaka responded strongly in the second set, using her superior experience to dictate rallies and level the match.

The deciding set saw both players push each other to the limit, with momentum swinging back and forth. Stearns initially led 4-2 in the final-set tiebreak, but Osaka fought back to even the score, displaying the mental toughness that has defined her career.

However, Stearns dug deep, winning five straight points to close out the match, a remarkable feat given that she was battling illness throughout the contest.

“I wasn’t feeling the best. I dug deep. I don’t think I’ve dug that deep in a while,” Stearns said after the match, revealing that she had vomited both before and after the match due to illness.

Osaka, reflecting on her defeat, praised her opponent’s resilience. “I think Peyton played very well. It was a physical match, and maybe the consecutive matches caught up to me a bit. I’m going to rest for a bit and reset for Roland Garros,” Osaka said in her post-match interview.

With this victory, Stearns advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face the winner of the match between Elina Svitolina and Danielle Collins. This win marks a significant milestone in Stearns’ young career, building on her first WTA Tour title at the 2024 Rabat Grand Prix.

For Osaka, the loss serves as a challenging setback ahead of the French Open, where she hopes to continue her clay-court improvement.