American tennis player Danielle Collins achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Miami Open title in 2024, becoming the lowest-ranked woman ever to claim the prestigious WTA 1000 event. The 30-year-old, ranked 53rd in the world, upset the odds by defeating Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the world number four, in a thrilling two-hour final.
Collins’ journey to this momentous victory is a testament to her resilience and determination. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1993, Collins began playing tennis at a young age. She played college tennis at the University of Virginia, where she won the NCAA singles title twice, in 2014 and 2016. After turning professional, Collins steadily climbed the WTA rankings, reaching a career-high of number 23 in 2019.
Throughout her career, Collins has faced numerous challenges, including a battle with rheumatoid arthritis, which she was diagnosed with in 2019. Despite the setbacks, she continued to compete at a high level, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2019 and the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2020.
In January 2024, Collins made the surprising announcement that she would be retiring from the sport at the end of the year. With this in mind, her unexpected run to the Miami Open final and subsequent victory over Rybakina was all the more impressive.
In the final, both players showcased their strong serves in the early exchanges, with Collins having to work harder to hold her serve. She saved four break points to hold for 4-3 and showed tremendous resilience to deny a break point at 5-5 with a brilliant backhand winner after a long rally. Collins broke Rybakina at the end of the first set, capitalizing on a third break point to take the lead.
The second set saw the momentum shift heavily in Collins’ favor when she broke Rybakina’s first service game. Although Rybakina broke back, Collins struck the decisive blow by breaking again to go 5-3 up. Despite struggling with nerves while serving out the match, Collins held on, denying two break points and clinching the title on her fourth championship point.
With this victory, Collins became the first American woman to win the Miami Open title since Sloane Stephens in 2018 and joined an elite group of American champions, including Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams.
Collins’ triumph in her final season on the tour was a fitting way to cap off her impressive career. Her journey, marked by perseverance and determination in the face of adversity, will serve as an inspiration to aspiring tennis players around the world. As she prepares to bid farewell to the sport, Danielle Collins can look back on her achievements, particularly her historic Miami Open victory, with immense pride.
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