Danielle Collins Credits Olympic Champion for Inspiring Her to Overcome Iga Swiatek in Rome
Danielle Collins registered her second victory over Iga Swiatek in her career after knocking her out in the Italian Open third round.
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Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins (Image via X/TNT Sports, #AusOpen)
On bad days, Danielle Collins remembers 2008 Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva. It’s the Russian former player who inspired the American to beat the best WTA clay-court player of this generation- Iga Swiatek.
On Saturday (May 10), Collins at the Italian Open, pulled off what Jelena Ostapenko and Coco Gauff did at the Stuttgart Open and the Madrid Open. Collins became the reason behind the Pole’s exit on the latter’s third clay-court tournament this year.
Following her 6-1, 7-5 victory, Collins heaped praise on former World No.3 Dementieva. Collins said that Dementieva had different skills and had not mastered the first serve, and despite that, she was successful in achieving great results. Dementieva was a finalist at the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open.
Growing up, I watched a lot of Elena Dementieva. Elena Dementieva made a career for herself not making many first serves. That was a really tough shot for her. She had so many other special parts of her game that made her the player she was. She was athletic.
Danielle Collins said at the press conference
She is now set to lock horns with Elina Svitolina in the fourth round. The upcoming match will be Collins’ second meeting with the Ukrainian this season following Indian Wells. Collins edges the 30-year-old 2-1 in the head-to-head encounter.
Danielle Collins shares the key reason behind her win over Iga Swiatek
Danielle Collins registered her second victory over Iga Swiatek in their nine encounters. Prior to Rome, Collins’s first victory over Swiatek came at the 2022 Australian Open. After her win, Collins said confidence was the key to denying the Pole a chance to go for her fourth title at Foco Italico.
Obviously, my style of play is quite aggressive. Sometimes it can go one way or the other. It can look very good and flashy, and other times you may miss some shots, but I think the key was to have confidence in myself at crucial moments, in my athletic ability, and not be afraid to go for my shots in those important moments.
Danielle Collins said at the press conference
Swiatek entered the tournament to defend her title as well as end her trophy drought. Since claiming the 2024 Roland Garros, she failed to reach a final. Before Rome, Swiatek reached every quarterfinal in the tournaments she played this year.
Apart from last year, the other two Rome Open titles came in 2021 and 2022, while in 2023, she handed a walkover to eventual winner Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Swiatek, who never really faced a defeat in Rome before this year, has now registered a 21-2 win-loss record in the Italian capital since her defeat in the first round five years ago.
Not failing to defend her title heavily affected the five-time Grand Slam champion’s rankings as on Monday, she will drop to the No.4 position. She will be out of the top 2 for the first time in over three years.
What’s next for Iga Swiatek?
Will Iga Swiatek emulate Novak Djokovic and ask for a wild card to play a tournament before the French Open? The 24-time Grand Slam champion failed to register a win so far on the clay swing, losing both his opening round matches at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Madrid Open before he withdrew from the Italian Open.
After the Italian Open and before the French Open, two WTA events will be held. The WTA 500 Internationaux de Strasbourg and the WTA 250 Morocco Open are scheduled to start on May 19.
The French Open, on the other hand, is scheduled to start on May 25. Swiatek will enter the tournament as a four-time Grand Slam champion.
Also read: Coco Gauff Bitterly Complains About the Italian Open’s Slow Conditions After Opening Round Victory
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