2021–2022: WTA Tour & major debuts Stearns made her
WTA Tour main-draw debut at the
2021 Silicon Valley Classic, where she received entry as an alternate into the doubles main draw. She made her major debut as a wildcard at the
2022 US Open.
2023: WTA Tour final, major fourth round and top 50 At the inaugural
ATX Open in Austin, Stearns earned her first WTA Tour win as a wildcard over qualifier
Katie Boulter in a three-hour marathon. Next, she defeated fellow wildcard player
Mirjam Björklund to reach her first tour quarterfinal, where she lost to
Katie Volynets in straight sets. The following week, she made her main-draw debut at the
WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open as a wildcard and overcame a set deficit to defeat
Rebeka Masarova in the first round, before succumbing to
Bianca Andreescu from a set up in the next round. Stearns reached her first WTA Tour singles final at the
Copa Colsanitas, after defeating
Rosa Vicens Mas,
Elina Avanesyan,
Tamara Zidanšek and
Kamilla Rakhimova. Though she fell in three sets to defending champion
Tatjana Maria in the championship match, her results at the tournament propelled her into the top 100 for the first time, at world No. 89, on April 10. This also ensured Stearns a direct entry into the main draw of the 2023 French Open. Later that month, she reached the final of the
LTP Charleston Pro, losing it to compatriot
Emma Navarro, in three sets. At the
Morocco Open in Rabat, Stearns defeated
Panna Udvardy and
Leylah Fernandez to reach her third tour quarterfinal. She lost to
Sloane Stephens in a third-set tiebreak, despite holding three match points. Ranked world No. 69 at the
French Open, Stearns recorded her first top-50 win, defeating No. 49
Kateřina Siniaková. She immediately followed that up with her first top-20 win, defeating former champion and 17th seed,
Jeļena Ostapenko, in three sets. She was defeated by ninth seed
Daria Kasatkina, in the third round. At the
US Open, she reached the fourth round defeating
Viktoriya Tomova,
Clara Tauson and
Katie Boulter. As a result, she reached the top 50 at world No. 44, on 11 September 2023.
2024: WTA Tour title, French and US Open third rounds, WTA 1000 quarterfinal In
Indian Wells, Stearns recorded her second WTA 1000 win over
Elisabetta Cocciaretto. She held four match points against world No. 2,
Aryna Sabalenka, in the second round but lost the match in the third set tiebreak. On her debut in the main draw at the
Miami Open, she also reached the second round with a win over
Wang Yafan, before losing to
Victoria Azarenka. Stearns won her maiden career title at the
Rabat Grand Prix in Morocco, defeating
Mayar Sherif in the final. She reached for the second consecutive time the third round at the
French Open, with wins over first time major qualifier
Lucija Ćirić Bagarić in three sets, and tenth seed Daria Kasatkina. At the WTA 1000
Canadian Open in Toronto, she reached the quarterfinals for the first time at this level, defeating
Anna Blinkova, and then upsetting seventh seed
Madison Keys and 12th seed Victoria Azarenka, both matches by retirement. She lost to third seed and eventual champion
Jessica Pegula. Ranked No. 47 at the
US Open, she again reached the third round defeating
Lesia Tsurenko and upsetting 12th seed Daria Kasatkina to set up a meeting with 24th seed
Donna Vekić which she lost in straight sets.
2025: First WTA 1000 semifinal and top-10 wins In February, at the
Dubai Championships, Stearns defeated
Ons Jabeur in the first round and then overcame world No. 8,
Zheng Qinwen, in three sets to record her first win against a top-10 ranked player. She lost in the third round to 12th seed
Mirra Andreeva in a match played later on the same day as her encounter with Zheng due to rain interruptions setting the tournament schedule back. In April, at the
Madrid Open, Stearns defeated
Kimberly Birrell, 15th seed
Amanda Anisimova and qualifier
Rebeka Masarova to reach the fourth round, where she lost to world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka. At the next WTA 1000, the
Italian Open, Stearns reached back-to-back fourth rounds with an upset over fifth seed Madison Keys. Next she defeated
Naomi Osaka to reach her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and first on clay. Stearns then overcame 16th seed
Elina Svitolina to make it through to her first WTA 1000 semifinal, which she lost to sixth seed, and eventual champion,
Jasmine Paolini.
2026: Second WTA title At the
Australian Open, Stearns defeated
Sofia Kenin and
Petra Marčinko to reach the third round, at which point her run was ended by world No. 3
Amanda Anisimova. Seeded fourth at the
ATX Open, she recorded wins over
Francesca Jones,
Kaja Juvan,
Oksana Selekhmeteva and Kimberly Birrell to make it through to the final at the . Stearns won the championship match against
Taylor Townsend to claim her second WTA Tour title. ==Performance timelines==