Danielle Collins‘ dream fortnight just keeps getting better as she storms past Frenchwoman Alize Cornet to reach her second grand slam semifinal. She defeated Cornet in straight sets 7-5,6-1 to become the second American to reach the semifinal of the 2022 Australian Open after Madison Keys booked a last 4 spot yesterday.
Collins reached the semifinals of the same event 3 years ago and despite having a bad 2021 season, she managed to start the 2022 season on a very positive note. She will also break into the top 15 of the world for the first time next week. It is to be noted that this is Collins’ second Oz Open semifinal in just her 4th main draw appearance.
The match started with high intensity points from both players. The baseline exchange was tight on the forehand side with each player not making many errors. Cornet was hitting the ball deep while Collins was making the Frenchwoman move. But with a late break of serve, it was Collins who took the first set 7-5.
The American carried all the momentum she had in the second set. She was serving flawlessly and gave Cornet a very tough time. The first time quarterfinalist wasn’t able to handle Collins groundstrokes was often on the receiving end of the rallies. Cornet was broken at the start of the second set and Collins didn’t look back. With another break of serve, Collins wrapped up the set 6-1 to reach the semifinal.
‘I’ve worked for this everyday’: Collins
In the post match interview, Collins spoke about how tough things and been for her all her life and how she managed to tackle all obstacles. She also spoke about the sacrifices she had to make in order to play tennis as a kid.
She said: “It means the world to me! I think as athletes, especially for myself, I’ve been playing tennis since I was 7-years old. I’ve worked for this everyday. I gave up so much as a kid to get to where I am now.”
“The amount of hours I spent each day on the court, playing with my dad and him driving me around everywhere tryin g to get me the best resources to where I’m today. With the health challenges and to be able to overcome that, I know it means a lot to me and my family as well,” Collins said.
Collins will have to regroup quickly as she’ll play her semifinal match tomorrow. She will face Estonian veteran Kaia Kanepi or 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek.
