"Constant stomach pain, trips to the bathroom" - Peyton Stearns reveals details of her 'frustrating' illness diagnosis after grueling Dubai schedule

Peyton Stearns recently disclosed that she suffered from E. coli poisoning after playing two singles matches on the same day at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships. The American was clearly exhausted from her campaign at the WTA 1000 tournament as she slumped to a straight-sets defeat in her opener at the ATX Open on Wednesday (February 26).

Stearns began her Dubai campaign on a fine note, downing veteran Ons Jabeur in straight sets in her opener. Two days later, the 23-year-old was embroiled in a close three-setter against World No. 8 Zheng Qinwen. The World No. 43 fought past the Chinese star by a scoreline of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 35 minutes.

However, Peyton Stearns had very little left in her tank as the tight schedule at the 1000-level event required her to play another singles match against the fast-rising Mirra Andreeva the same day. The American ultimately suffered a 1-6, 1-6 blowout at the hands of the eventual champion.

Following an early exit at her next tournament campaign at the 2025 ATX Open in Texas, she disclosed on her X (formerly Twitter) handle in a detailed post that pulling double duty at the Dubai Tennis Championships had compromised her health.

"These past three weeks have been a rough ride….constant stomach pain, exhaustion, trips to the bathroom and not knowing what’s going on. After multiple tests, I finally found out E. coli was the culprit," Peyton Stearns wrote on X on Thursday. "It’s been frustrating not knowing what was wrong, but now that I do, I can focus on getting better. Luckily I have some time to rest, recover, and get my strength back before Indian Wells!"

Stearns will be eager to improve her career-best result at the BNP Paribas Open in March and is now in a race against time to be fit for the WTA 1000 tournament.

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Peyton Stearns has yet to go past the second round in Indian Wells

Peyton Stearns prepares to hit a forehand | Image Source: Getty

Peyton Stearns established herself as a formidable presence on the WTA Tour in 2024, securing her maiden pro title at the Morocco Open last May. Although the American hasn't had a considerable impact since then, she is ready to make amends at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

Stearns has participated in the singles competition at the Palm Spring event twice in her career so far (2023-24). In her two appearances, the 23-year-old has never crossed the second-round hurdle. That said, she has been handed tough draws in Indian Wells since her tournament debut, having gone out to former champion Bianca Andreescu and three-time Major titlist Aryna Sabalenka in 2023 and 2024, respectively.