Danielle
Collins (No. 53) defeated
Elena Rybakina (No. 4) 7-5, 6-3 to cap off her dream
week with her first WTA 1000 title at the
Miami Open. The American once again
showcased impeccable serving and outperformed Rybakina, who is the runner-up at
the Miami Open for the second consecutive year.
Both
players knew they couldn't afford to give their opponent many chances on serve,
and much of the match unfolded with quick service games. Collins had the first
break point in her favor but couldn't convert it, then in the seventh game,
Rybakina had four break opportunities, but she also failed to capitalize on
them.
It seemed
like the set would be decided in a tie-break, but an inconsistent game from
Rybakina in the 12th game gave Collins three set points. The 30-year-old
American star took the first set 7-5 on her third opportunity. Collins had a
58% first serve percentage and won 81% of them, just slightly better than
Rybakina, who had a 55% first serve percentage and won 76% of them.
In the
second set, Collins raised her level, and Rybakina again struggled with her
first serve, only hitting 50% of them in. Collins grabbed an early break and
took a 2-0 lead, but Rybakina immediately broke back and managed to maintain
parity. The 2022 Wimbledon champion had her chances to secure a break but
couldn't overcome her opponent's consistency.
Towards the
end of the set and after saving another couple of break points, Collins secured
a break to lead 5-3 and finally, after a tense service game where she faced two
break points against her and wasted three match points, she closed out the
match and clinched the Miami Open title 7-5, 6-3.
Collins
secures the third title of her career and the most significant one, also rising
31 positions in the WTA Rankings to world No. 22. Despite her strong
performances in Miami, the former world No. 7 commented in recent days that her
decision to retire this year remains unchanged.