Danielle COLLINS shines bright, stellar victory over Caroline GARCIA advances her to Round of 16 of Rome Open

Danielle Collins (No. 15) defeated Caroline Garcia (No. 23) and advanced to the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 Rome Open. The American seems to be keeping her foot on the gas pedal and secured another significant victory to reach the last 16 in the Italian Open for the first time.

Both players showcased their main strength as powerful hitters from the baseline. They both struggled initially with their serves, resulting in an early break in favor of Garcia and two breaks in favor of Collins.

Collins faced serious challenges with her serve throughout the set, with only a 35% first serve percentage compared to Garcia's 62%. However, Collins was more dominant on the return, winning 59% of the return points and capitalizing effectively when landing her first serve.

The first six games saw a total of 5 breaks (3 for Collins, 2 for Garcia). Garcia managed to hold her serve for the first time in the seventh game, but it was the only time in the set. Collins took four out of five opportunities to take the lead, winning the set 6-3.

In the second set, Caroline Garcia adjusted her serve and showed a slight improvement to maintain parity for much of the set. The key moment came in the fifth game, where Collins saved up to 5 break points to hold her serve. In the following game, she broke her opponent to love.

A single break advantage was enough for Collins, who won 63% of the service points, ultimately securing the match 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 22 minutes. Collins handled the crucial moments better, while Garcia struggled with inconsistency, particularly on serve. Collins's next challenge will be against Romanian Irina Begu, who surprised Elise Mertens (27th seed) in straight sets.