The eyes of the world may be fixed on Tokyo, but that hasn’t stopped Danielle Collins doing just what she’s always done. Which is to say, going about the business of winning tennis matches with the unflinching ferocity and relentless tenacity of a pitbull, regardless of where she may be and irrespective of who or what gets in her way.
Collins, who narrowly missed out on a place on the US Olympic team, has found plenty of obstacles in her path of late. In April, she underwent surgery for endometriosis, a debilitating condition that causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow elsewhere. She returned in time for the French Open, where she was beaten by Serena Williams in the third round, but was demolished by Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in round two of Wimbledon and arrived in Sicily for the Palermo Ladies Open nursing an arm injury that had forced her to withdraw from the semi-finals of the Hungarian Grand Prix only two days earlier.
It was hardly ideal preparation for a first WTA Tour title, but then Collins – who is 27 but only turned pro five years ago, having graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in media studies and business – has rarely gone about things the conventional way. Having reached the first final of her career without conceding a set, the big-hitting Floridian produced a typically combative performance to defeat the Romanian qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4, 6-2.
“It’s given me so much self-confidence to finally win a tournament,” said Collins, who lost a tight three-setter to Ruse a fortnight ago in Hamburg. “When I went on the court, I knew I was up against a tough opponent who’s been playing really well, who’s really been on a roll the last couple of weeks. I knew what I needed to do, but at times there were some moments where she was playing some really great tennis and it gave me some challenges.”
Both players were forced to fend off break points in their opening service games, setting the tone for a combative first set in which Ruse secured breaks in the third and fifth games only to be quickly pegged back by the top-seeded Collins. From 4-2 down in the opener, Collins reeled off 10 of the next 12 games to deny the 137th-ranked Romanian a second consecutive tournament victory as a qualifier.
“I’ve been improving, clearly, based on my results and being able to go longer with my stamina throughout the events,” said Collins. “That was my main goal in playing all of the tournaments the last four weeks. It was just really rewarding to think about.”