Miami Open: Danielle Collins stuns Elena Rybakina in front of raucous home crowd to win first WTA 1000 title
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Updated 30/03/2024 at 23:30 GMT
Danielle Collins delighted the home crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium by stunning Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open final. The 30-year-old is set to retire at the end of the season, but clinched her first WTA 1000 title with a hard-fought victory against world No. 4 Rybakina which lasted two hours and two minutes. Collins is now set to rise from world No. 53 to No. 22.
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Danielle Collins topped off a fairytale run at the Miami Open with a 7-5 6-3 victory against Elena Rybakina to clinch the title.
The 30-year-old, who is set to retire at the end of the season, clinched her first WTA 1000 crown in front of a raucous home crowd at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Collins had been in the form of her life at the Miami Open, not dropping a set since coming back from one down in her opening match.
But she was still considered the underdog against world No. 4 Rybakina, and had only beaten the former Wimbledon champion just once in their four previous encounters.
The two players kept pace with each other in the first set, with Collins calling for more energy from the crowd and box as she battled for an advantage.
The home favourite saved four break points in a fiercely contested seventh game, taking a 4-3 lead.
She then fended off another break opportunity for Rybakina at 5-5, winning three straight points to take a 6-5 lead, and wrapping up the set with her third set point after an hour of play.
Rybakina decided to take an off-court break before the second set got underway, but it was Collins that appeared to be the fresher of the pair, taking a two-game lead.
Her opponent managed to bring the scores level, and the pair again embarked on an epic battle in the seventh game of the set. Collins saved two break points to put herself within two games of winning the tournament at 4-3.
She became aggressive with her return in the next game, earning the opportunity to serve for the title.
Collins had to save two break points during the final game, eventually clinching the victory on her fourth championship point.
The result meant Collins, who is now the lowest-ranked woman to win the Miami Open as the world No. 53, won 14 sets in a row at the tournament. She now will move up to world No. 22.
"To come out here and feel like I’m playing in front of thousands of my best friends and everybody that was pushing me to get over this hurdle today, it just meant the world," Collins said.
"I was getting very emotional and I had to keep telling myself, 'Leave those emotions in the locker room and wait until after the match.' It was just an incredible environment, I’ve never experienced anything like it."
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