Collins upsets Badosa in San Diego, advances to semifinal

American tennis player Danielle Collins secured her spot in the semifinals of the San Diego Open, stunning second seed Paula Badosa on Friday night in an impressive showing.

Collins recorded a 7-6(5) 6-4 win over the Spaniard, despite hitting 10 double faults that could have seen victory slip from her grasp. Although the American looked shaky on serve at several points in the match, Badosa was unable to capitalize, winning only 27% of points behind her second serve.

After obtaining an early break to lead 2-0, Collins seemed to be in control of the match. However, Badosa rallied back, with both ladies exchanging multiple breaks. A tiebreak ensued, during which Collins proved to be the more consistent player as she escaped with the set.

Badosa's poor serving proved to be her downfall, as the World No.4 could only win 4 of 13 points behind her second serve in the second set. This enabled Collins to dictate play, leading to a vital break that saw her lead 5-3. Although Badosa was able to hold in the subsequent game, Collins never faltered as she served out the match and secured her spot in the final four after two hours of play.

Collins will face the unseeded Donna Vekic in the semifinals, as the Croatian outlasted Aryna Sabalenka in their quarterfinal encounter earlier in the day.