Danielle
Collins (No. 21) clinched back-to-back titles in America after defeating Daria
Kasatkina (No. 11) by 6-2, 6-1 in her 13th consecutive victory to reach world
No. 15. The impeccable form of the American gives her a second consecutive
title after the Miami Open, the fourth of her career.
The former
Australian Open finalist is enjoying the best streak of her career at 30 years
old, shortly after announcing her retirement during the 2024 season. Collins
was outside the top 70 just two months ago but has now returned to the top 15
after fourteen months.
The first
set quickly tilted in favor of Collins, who after holding her first service
game, generated several break opportunities in the following game. Kasatkina
fought for 22 points, but ultimately her opponent secured the first break and
then took the lead with her serve at 3-0.
The Russian
had already struggled with her serve in the semifinals against Jessica Pegula,
conceding 8 breaks throughout the match. This time, Collins capitalized on
points from the return and secured the second break to take the first set 6-2
in 47 minutes.
Danielle Collins adds to Miami Open glory with back-to-back titles.
The world
No. 22 won 71% of the points Kasatkina played with her second serve, in
addition to an incredible 94% when playing with her first serve, highlighting
her powerful forehand in exchanges to win points quickly.
In the
second set, the nightmare continued for Kasatkina, who could do little against
Collins' outstanding performance from the baseline, winning her first two games
to love and securing two consecutive breaks to take a commanding 4-0 lead in a
masterclass of tennis.
Kasatkina
found her first break opportunities in the fifth game but was unable to convert
them. Although the Russian then won her first service game, there was no time
for more, and Collins closed out the match with a resounding 6-2, 6-1 to claim
the fourth title of her career, and from Monday she will be the world No. 15.
On the
other hand, Kasatkina needed to win to return to the top 10, but she fell just
short of the title in her fifth consecutive final defeat, all of them in WTA
500 tournaments.