MIAMI: Danielle Collins, on fire, clinched a dominant 6-3, 6-2 triumph against the 23rd seed Caroline Garcia of France on Wednesday, securing her ticket to the Miami Open semifinals in Miami Gardens, Fla. This marks Collins’ second appearance in the semis at this venue.
Up next, Collins is set to face off against the 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, who staged a remarkable comeback against the 5th seed Jessica Pegula of the United States, triumphing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Displaying her prowess, Collins unleashed 22 winners, requiring a mere 80 minutes to dispatch Garcia, extending her unbeaten record to 4-0 against her opponent. Notably, her first-serve accuracy soared to an impressive 89.7%, with no break points conceded.
Reflecting on her performance, Collins remarked, “I think, depending on the matchup, some people are more favorable against others. I think Caro comes out here and fights her butt off. She hits really strong shots. Against Caro, I need to be more concentrated as I know I don’t want to give her an inch.”
Despite her previous semifinal stint in 2018, where she fell to Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the 30-year-old Collins has showcased resilience, stringing together five consecutive victories. Her journey began with a set loss to Bernarda Pera, followed by a remarkable streak of winning 10 consecutive sets.
“I have made a lot of improvements over last two weeks and adjustments within my game technically,” Collins disclosed to the Tennis Channel. “I think that’s helping me a lot with the accuracy and precision of my shots and being more consistent with my points.”
