MIAMI -- After a year of free-swinging, fearless tennis, Peyton Stearns lost her edge. She dropped her first four matches of the year and admitted the pressure was getting to her. 

Ultimately, a heart-to-heart with Danielle Collins might have sparked a turnaround.

"She told me look, you're not going to drop that far despite what happens," Stearns said. "You're winning a round here and there at the big events so you're going to stay up in the rankings.

"She said the worst that's going to happen is you go play qualifying at a Masters 1000. What's it going to do? It's going to get you more confidence and more matches through qualifying and that's that. You got to look at it that way. I think I've kind of changed my perspective." 

When Stearns arrived at Indian Wells earlier this month, she was 1-6 on the season. This from a player who finished 2023 with a career-high No.43 ranking, more than 160 spots better than when she began the year.

But something clicked. In the second round in California, she played her part in one of the highlights of the tournament, holding four match points against Aryna Sabalenka. The Australian Open champion pulled off the narrow escape, 6-7(2), 6-2, 7-6(6), but Stearns rediscovered her courage. 

On Tuesday at the Miami Open, Stearns kept the momentum going with a straightforward 6-2, 6-3 win against Wang Yafan to reach the second round, where Victoria Azarenka awaits.  

"I think after the Open last year, I kind of struggled a little bit," Stearns said. "I rose so quickly, and with every rise there's a fall. So I think I fell and I was trying to get myself out of that hole in different ways and I wasn't finding a way out.

"In the matches I was losing, I was playing too safe. In those moments, I was just relying on my opponent to do something extraordinary or miss, instead of putting it on my racquet and doing what I want to do." 

Must See

Like Collins, Stearns is an NCAA champion. Two years ago, she became the first player from the the University of Texas to win the NCAA title, before deciding to turn professional. 

"I've got to go after my shots," Stearns said. "I remember last year, I had an interview and they asked what makes you a good player? I think I live and die by the sword. I think I brought that mentality back and it's a game-changer.

"Every week is an opportunity and you just got to take it," Stearns said. "It's kind of a new year. I know in a couple weeks I was in the finals of Bogota last year. If I don't make the finals, Oh well. You got to take the opportunity and go with it and that's that."