Danielle Collins enjoyed a fairytale ending at the Miami Open. She won one of the biggest titles of her career and also accomplished one of her major goals before her retirement at the end of the season.
The 30-year-old Tennis player from America stunned No. 4 seed Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final en route to her first-ever WTA 1000 event, and her first title at any level since 2021.
Over the years, Collins battled numerous health issues, including rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis. Due to her health issues, she had, in January, announced that this would be her farewell season.
Despite this, she has achieved much in her career, including becoming the world No. 7 and highest-ranked American female player at one point.
“I have always wanted to win every tournament that I have signed up for, but I do think that because it is my last year, I’m like, I really want to try to win a [WTA] 1000 this year. That’s really important to me. That’s something that I talked a lot about with everybody close to me,” Collins said during the post match ceremony, per the WTA.
Collins, presently ranked as the world No. 53, exhibited a commanding performance marked by powerful hitting, clinching victory to become the lowest-ranked woman ever to win the Miami Open.
In a tightly contested set, she fended off four break points to hold serve at 4-3, then thwarted another at 5-5, maintaining pressure on Rybakina.
As the Kazakh faltered and surrendered three set points at 6-5, Collins seized the opportunity, securing the first set.
The second set unfolded similarly, with both players exchanging breaks of serve. However, Rybakina missed two break points, while Collins capitalized on hers, taking a 5-3 lead. She ultimately sealed the victory on her fourth match point.
Competing on home soil, the American was cheered on by the crowd and she said she felt like she was “playing in front of thousands of my best friends.”
“That was just surreal,” she said, according to the WTA. “I will never forget this day because of that.”
She became the sixth American woman to win the Miami Open after Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens.
Collins maintained that this will be her farewell season.
“I feel like all of these questions are coming from such a good place, because I feel like a lot of people would like to continue seeing me play well,” she told Sky Sports.
“But like I said, I have some health challenges, and with those health challenges, it makes things for me away from the court a little more difficult. I hope everyone can respect that. It’s a very emotional and personal thing.”
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