Thanks to the win, Tauson got revenge for the defeat against Stearns at the US Open in 2023. On Tuesday, Tauson started by breaking a nervous Stearns, who is ranked 58th in the world rankings and was in the main tournament as a "lucky loser" in the qualification.
In the following game, Tauson fended off two break points and held serve to take a 2-0 lead.
It visibly deflated the 24-year-old Stearns, and when Tauson continued to deliver two flawless service games and again broke the American to take a 5-2 lead, the first set was virtally decided.
Tauson's game did include unforced errors, but the error rate was kept at a reasonable level compared to Stearns, and Tauson made the American work hard for every single point.
Stearns broke back to 1-1 in the second set, but after a hard-fought game, had to have treatment for a sore shoulder.
Four matches in four days - including two three-set matches in qualifying - had apparently left their mark on the American.
Tauson saved a break point and broke cleanly to lead 3-2, which was crucial as she was subsequently very focused in her own service games.
The Dane delivered 11 service aces on Tuesday, and combined with Monday's victory over Sofia Kenin, she has now made 31 aces in just four sets.
Tauson is the defending finalist in Dubai and thus has several points to defend in the tournament.