Danielle came to clay! 🦅 In an impressive display, Danielle Collins defeats Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3. Up next: Aryna Sabalenka! 👀 #IBI24
Danielle COLLINS secures semifinal berth at Rome Open with victory over Victoria AZARENKA
WTAWednesday, 15 May 2024 at 20:55
Danielle
Collins (No. 15) clinches victory against Victoria Azarenka (No. 24) by 6-4,
6-3 and advances to the semifinals of the Rome Open. The American joins the
top-3 in the semifinals and will face Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2) in search of her
third final of the year.
The
30-year-old player will play semifinals of a WTA 1000 for the third time in her
career, although the previous two were in the hardcourts of the Miami Open.
Collins increased her year's record to 32-8 and is on the brink of the top-10.
The first
set started in favor of the former world No. 1 who took a quick break to take
the lead by 2-0. In a high-intensity encounter, both stood strong from the
baseline in the cross-court exchanges, but it was Collins who imposed her power
from the forehand and took control of the set by winning the next 5 games
consecutively.
Azarenka
managed to reduce the deficit and recovered the break so she had the chance
with her service to level the score, but made several errors that ended up
conceding a new break, and the set to her opponent by 6-4. Both were
particularly inaccurate with their serves, with 5 double faults each only in
the first set.
In the
second set, 'Danimal' varied her service points more and was indecipherable for
Azarenka from the return. Collins capitalized on Azarenka's constant double
faults and was the first to take a break in the fourth game and easily took the
lead until 4-1 with impeccable service games.
Collins totalized 6 aces and 9 double faults
Collins had
everything to take the second break later in a long game of 18 points, but it
ultimately went to the Belarusian. Azarenka recovered the break in the 7th game
and had again the chance to equalize with her service, just like in the first
set, but she was unable to convert it.
Finally,
Collins closed the match with her service by 6-4, 6-3 and advanced to the
semifinals of the Rome Open, where she will face Aryna Sabalanka. Two weeks ago
at the Madrid Open, Sabalenka ended Collins' streak of 15 consecutive wins. The
former Australian Open finalist has won 19 of her last 20 matches, with the
only exception being the loss against the Belarusian by 6-4, 4-6, 3-6.
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