"Just keep going": Peyton Stearns names American player who helped get her career back on track

American tennis player Peyton Stearns has named a player who helped her get her career on track last year. The 23-year-old is currently taking part in the Madrid Open, where she booked her place in the third round after beating fellow countrywoman Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

In the first round, she defeated Australia’s Kimberly Birrell with a score of 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Stearns has been quoted in a report by Athlon Sports, which highlighted that fellow American and current world number 30 Danielle Collins helped her last year during the Indian Wells event. The Ohio-born stated that the 31-year-old suggested that her career is long and that she should not care about inconsistencies so early in her career, something which helped her perform better.

"Yes, I've chatted with a few other American tennis players, and they've helped out big time," said Peyton. "Last year at Indian Wells, Danielle Collins came over and gave me some encouragement. I wasn’t having the best start to the year, and she said, 'Your career is long and just starting. You're going to have highs and lows, and you just have to ride them out. Don't get disheartened because you're having a bad couple of months. Tennis can change so quickly. You can go from a losing streak to a winning streak. Just keep going.”

Stearns is now set to face Switzerland’s Rebeka in the round of 32. The 25-year-old cemented her spot in the last-32 after beating Yulia Putintseva in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3. This will be the second meeting between the two players. In the previous meeting, which was during the first round at the Indian Wells back in 2023, it was Stearns who came out on top with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.