Danielle COLLINS in position for final Olympic Games in tough fight for four American spots

Danielle Collins entered the race for a place in the Olympiad Games after winning her first WTA 1000 title of her career at the Miami Open, beating Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3. The American is playing her last season as a professional and at the age of 30 had a dream two weeks in her home state to win the third title of her career and the most important so far.

Few would have put Collins as one of the favorites before the start of the tournament, as she arrived unseeded and out of the top-50 of the WTA Rankings. However, her great run in Miami not only gave her the title but also a new status in the rankings as world No. 22. She is also 16th in the race to the Olympics.

The 56 top-ranked players after Wimbledon will earn their Olympic Games berths. However, the federations of each country can have a maximum of four representatives, so there will be players who, despite being in the qualification zone, will lose their place if they are not among the best four representatives of their country.

In the case of the United States, its four best representatives on the women's side are Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and now Danielle Colllins, who slightly surpassed Madison Keys. Although with more distance, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin remains within the qualification zone, although she will have to enter the top four to be in the Olympics.

There are still the season's clay and grass court tournaments to go before the 2024 Paris Olympics at Roland Garros. Collins will have to maintain good results to stay in the qualification zone. The 30-year-old has 2129 points and will compete directly with Emma Navarro, who is just ahead of her with 2133 points, and Madison Keys, who is close behind with 2107 points.