Remember what happened when Aryna Sabalenka faced America’s Peyton Stearns in the R64 of the 2024 Indian Wells Masters? Well, the Belarusian superstar, who had entered the match following her opening match loss in Dubai, had to save four match points to win the opener against the youngster at that time. Sabalenka After the victory, Sabalenka let out a yell of triumph and relief and admitted, “She (Stearns) said at the net, ‘I actually had you.’ She was right. I was just a little bit lucky, probably, to get this win.” Fast forward nearly one year, and Stearns is all set to cross paths yet again with the world number one. How excited is the American before facing Sabalenka in the R16 of the 2025 Madrid Open?

Peyton Stearns (44) has been one of the big movers in the WTA rankings over the last year. Her incredible performances in the last few years have earned her a place inside the Top 50. Currently in Madrid, after taking three sets to win her first two matches, Peyton Stearns showcased a dominating performance in her R32 match against Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova. She defeated the Swiss by 6-2,6-0. Now she is eyeing a rematch against Sabalenka. Last year, she pushed Sabalenka to her fullest limit. Can she repeat a similar fight this year as well?

 After her Third Round win at the 2025 Madrid Open Tennis Channel, the 23-year-old American sat for an interview with Tennis Channel. There she revealed how eagerly she has been waiting for this matchup over the past twelve months. “I‘ve been waiting for this rematch for over a year now. So, I’m ready, you know. I saw she won this morning and for me, it was just extra motivation to really get that rematch and have another chance. You know those kind of losses they don’t…I don’t think about them too much. But last year Indian Wells…that one stung,” said Stearns. Can she level up with an H2H scoreline at 1-1 with a victory in her next match? 

On the other hand, Sabalenka survived a scare from her former doubles partner, Elise Mertens (BEL) in the previous round before sealing the deal at 3-6,6-2,6-1. What did Aryna Sabalenka say after that narrow escape? “I was trying to find the rhythm on my serve. The moment I started focusing on the timing, on not rushing the ball, on not overhitting, things really clicked,” said Sabalenka in her post-match interview.

Well, Sabalenka holds a very high regard for this youngster (Stearns). What else did she say about her match when these two had previously crossed paths at the Indian Wells?

Aryna Sabalenka hailed her match against Peyton Stearns as one of the “best matches” in her career

Peyton Stearns was then ranked 64th in the world, and no one would have ever thought that she’d push the number 2 to three sets in R64 of the Indian Wells. Stearns took full advantage of the home conditions to push the 2023 finalist off the finish line. But somehow, Aryna Sabalenka managed to pull things just in the nick of time. Following that incredible fightback, Sabalenka said, “It was a super high-level match.”

Later on, she also heaped praise on Stearns, saying, “She played incredible tennis. I kept telling myself, ‘Stay there, fight for every point. You never know what’s going to happen. Probably this is the match for crazy comeback,’ and I did it. I’m super happy that I didn’t give up on that score, and I was really pushing myself hard, even though I didn’t play my best tennis, and she was crushing it like crazy. I was just like trying to stay in the game and keep fighting for every point.” Not only that, she also added, “This match definitely goes into the book of craziest matches and the best matches of my career.”

Both these players had to wait for a long time before stepping onto Manolo Santana Stadium. Before the clash of these power hitters in the Spanish capital, Peyton Stearns was spotted channeling her inner Conor McGregor by sending a clear and fearless message to the world number one.

Following her impressive victory against Masarova, Stearns shared a post on her social media accounts with the caption, “Tell Jose I’m coming #McGregor.” It is a direct reference to the former UFC double champion’s infamous words aimed at Jose Aldo during their legendary rivalry. Although her rivalry with Sabalenka is far from being called “legendary“, who do you think will hit the knockout punch first in this epic battle at the Madrid Open?