WTA Miami Archives - SportBlogg

Collins stuns Rybakina in front of raucous home crowd to win Miami and land first WTA 1000 title

March 30, 2024

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.

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Collins reaches first WTA 1000 final with comfortable Alexandrova victory

March 29, 2024

Danielle Collins booked a place in her first WTA 1000 final with a comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory against Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Miami Open.

The 30-year-old announced in January that this would be her final year on the WTA Tour, but she is currently experiencing her best run of form since reaching the Australian Open final in 2022.

Collins, playing in front of a home crowd at the Miami Open, has not dropped a set since coming back from one down in her opening match. No player has won more than three games against her in any set.

Alexandrova was subject to the same treatment despite previous victories against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula, losing in 75 minutes.

Collins drew 19 errors from her opponent as she broke serve twice to win the opening set.

She then started the second set with another break, before powering to victory with 21 winners.

“This feels like a really big accomplishment,” Collins said. “I think all of us want to make finals of 1000-level tournaments. These are our biggest tournaments of the year, aside from the Grand Slams.

“This is just so special. I can’t stress it enough about being in my home state and having my dog here, friends, family. It’s really special. I’ve had a couple of good years here, but this is definitely the most memorable.

“I followed all of [Alexandrova’s] matches this tournament, and it was so fun watching her. We have a similar game style, so it’s tricky when it’s like that.

“Because of that, I had to concentrate harder, had to react faster, and it really forced me to play at my highest level.”

Collins is seeking her third WTA title after victories at the Palermo Open and Silicon Valley Classic in 2021, but in her way stands world No. 4 Elena Rybakina, who took three sets to defeat Victoria Azarenka 6-4 0-6 7-6(2) in her semi-final.

Collins has beaten Rybakina just once in their four encounters, triumphing in San Jose in 2021.

“We’ve had a lot of tough battles, and that’s what we play for,” Collins said. “We want to have these matches. I think I actually did get a win on her in San Jose a while ago.

“Fingers crossed, I’ll have to do my homework. She’s been playing fantastic tennis, and another big hitter. So, I have to be ready.”

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Rybakina survives mid-match wobble against Azarenka to reach Miami final

March 28, 2024

Elena Rybakina recovered from an alarming mid-match slump to reach her second consecutive Miami Open final with a 6-4 0-6 7-6(2) win over three-time champion Victoria Azarenka.

The Kazakhstani player got off to a strong start by taking a hard-fought opener, but then won just five points in a bagel second set as Azarenka roared back into contention.

Rybakina, who pulled out of Indian Wells earlier this month with a virus and has been nursing an ankle issue, took a bathroom break between sets and rediscovered some form on her return, eventually claiming victory in a deciding tie-break.

The fourth seed, who is the highest-ranked player left in the draw, will face Danielle Collins or Ekaterina Alexandrova for the title on Saturday.

She will be looking to avenge last year’s final defeat to Petra Kvitova, a result that denied her a ‘Sunshine Swing’ double after winning at Indian Wells.

Rybakina’s winner tally quickly hit double figures after a tough series of early holds from both players, but she faced her first big question in game six.

Facing two break points at 15-40, Rybakina produced three aces in a row on her way to a big hold, and followed that up with the only break of the set as a double fault and forehand error at deuce cost Azarenka.

Serving for the set, Rybakina did not back down and found a series of big serves for a love hold that put one foot in the final.

But two-time Grand Slam winner Azarenka, 10 years her opponent’s senior, showed all her champion quality with her response, holding twice either side of an early break for a 3-0 lead in the second set.

Things unravelled further for Rybakina as she had an unusually sloppy service game, failing to win a point as the Belarusian took advantage of a series of unforced errors to claim the double break.

Azarenka’s dominance continued as a huge forehand winner into the corner made it 5-0, and a third break made it a bagel in favour of the 27th seed, who dropped just five points in the entire second set to seize the momentum.

However, Rybakina dusted herself down and got back to business in the decider, finally ending a seven-game losing streak with a hold before finding a break at the fifth attempt midway through the set.

But a fired-up Azarenka would not back down and broke back while Rybakina was serving for the match, racing to fetch a drop shot before raising her finger to her ear in celebration.

A hold apiece set up a decisive tie-break, where Rybakina’s big serve came to the fore as she edged out a tight contest lasting two hours and 33 minutes.

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Collins reveals ‘pretty resilient’ mentality after beating Garcia to reach Miami semis

March 27, 2024

Former Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins opened up on the mental battles that tennis players face after beating Caroline Garcia in straight sets to reach the Miami Open semi-final.

The American recorded a comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory without dropping serve.

It is the second time she has reached the last four of the event, having also got there in 2018.

The 30-year-old, who has announced she will retire from tennis at the end of the season, will now face Ekaterina Alexandrova or Jessica Pegula for a place in the final.

“She hit some really strong shots, and the games were really close,” Collins said in her on court interview afterwards.

“I don’t think that the set scores are necessarily a reflection of how close the match really is. It’s been like that every time we play.

“One of the things that makes me pretty resilient mentally is having a lot of detachment and I’ve worked a lot on that.

“You have to in this sport. It’s such a roller coaster each week. You’re losing practically every week. You have weeks that you win, but usually you’re losing. It’s like that for most of the players, even a lot of the top players.

“That’s been something I’ve worked on my whole career, and I feel like I’ve got pretty good at stomaching those highs and lows. It’s just about having fun out here, enjoying it, taking it all in and not being so caught up in the day to day, as much as possible.”

Collins has slipped to No. 63 in the world rankings after an injury-hit couple of years, but put in a near faultless display against the 23rd seed.

The first set was a tight encounter, with neither player able to force a single break point across the first six games.

However, Collins finally broke at the perfect time when Garcia failed to hold at 4-3, and her American opponent duly served it out in her next game.

The Frenchwoman required a medical timeout in the second set, when she received rigorous treatment to her right shoulder area.

She had already been broken by this point though, dropping her second service game as Collins raced into a 3-1 lead.

And although Garcia recovered sufficiently to continue, her opponent forced further break points in the seventh game, and she duly converted at the fourth attempt after cracking a backhand down the line.

That opened up a 5-2 advantage, and there was to be no comeback from there as the American held to love, whipping a cross-court forehand so seal victory with her 22nd winner of the match.

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‘It was a fight’ – Azarenka powers past Putintseva in gruelling contest to reach semis

March 26, 2024

Victoria Azarenka booked her place in the Miami Open semi-finals after a gruelling three-set win over Yulia Putintseva.

The Belarusian was left to grind out a hard-fought 7-6(4) 1-6 6-3 win over the precocious Kazakh after a 53-minute delay in the first set due to a technical fault with the scoring system.

This was Azarenka’s fifth Miami Open semi-final appearance, with the three-time winner of this tournament setting up a last-four clash against either Maria Sakkari or Elena Rybakina.

Speaking after the victory, she said: “It was a fight; Yulia is in such great form and I had to really dig deep in that second set.

“I felt like my legs were kind of giving in a little bit and I lost a bit of self-belief because she was playing so well.

“She was moving me around everywhere, but I was very happy that I could regroup, reset and take my chances.”

“I was able to come and play aggressively and face the challenge; it was a really fun and entertaining match.

“I’m just happy that after all these years I’m still excited to go out here, put on a show and stay motivated to go after my dreams.

“I’ve played on tour for 20 years and I still feel like I’m improving, so that’s priceless to me and I’m very grateful for this opportunity; I want to keep going.”

Putintseva set her stall out immediately after breaking Azarenka in the opening game, with the nervy-looking No. 27 seed falling victim to a double fault.

The Kazakh followed that up with a hold to move 2-0 up, leaving the two-time Grand Slam winner with plenty to ponder in the opening exchanges.

Azarenka would erase Putintseva’s 3-1 lead to restore parity at 3-3 after breaking the world No. 68 for the first time

However, Putintseva was left serving for the set after breaking Azarenka again, only to surrender three set points.

Azarenka then squandered two set points herself, ahead of the tie-break which Azarenka won fairly emphatically at 7-4.

The 29-year-old provided an incredible response to level the overall scores, breaking Azarenka’s serve three times and winning the second set in the seventh game with a hold to love.

But the 34-year-old fought back impressively and Putintseva had few answers as Azarenka surged into a 5-1 lead and was left serving for the match.

A first match point came and went though, before the two-time Grand Slam winner got the job done in the ninth game.

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‘Every loss weighs heavy’ – Gauff rues ‘tough’ defeat to Garcia

March 26, 2024

Coco Gauff admitted “every loss weighs heavy” after her Miami Open campaign was ended in the last 16 by Caroline Garcia.

Gauff, who was born in Florida, has not made it past the fourth round in five appearances at her home tournament.

It is one of only two WTA 1000 events, along with Madrid, where she hasn’t reached at least one quarter-final.

“I think honestly it’s just tough matches over the years,’’ Gauff said about her Miami results.

“I feel like I know how to play with home pressure, especially after the whole US swing last year, so I didn’t feel any nerves coming in today or at all this week.

“I think I’m the type of person every loss kind of weighs on me heavy, especially one like today where I felt like I could have done better, and I felt like I had the match in control, especially after the second [set].

“Honestly, if anything, it kind of helps being home so I can just drive and be home and be in my own bed.’’

After losing the first set, Gauff looked to have turned things around in a one-sided second set that saw her hit eight winners to one from Garcia.

But the key moment in the match came early in the third as Garcia saved four break points in the opening game.

Garcia held and then broke Gauff in the next game, before using the momentum to pull clear.

“It is a tough loss,” added Gauff.

“It was basically an up-and-down match. She played aggressive, which I knew coming in, and I think it was really important for me to just change the height of the ball.

“I did that well for the majority of the second set. And then starting off the third with an early break, I think just completely changed the momentum.”

Despite the defeat, Gauff took positives from one aspect of her game.

“I do think one positive is the serve. I got broken a lot today, [but] I don’t think it was because of my serving.

“I went from hitting 17 double faults in Indian Wells to I think only, like, two or three today. So I think that’s something that can continue to improve, but it did in a short amount of time.”

Gauff is set to start her clay season in Stuttgart in April.

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Swiatek ‘disappointed’ as quest for Sunshine Double ends with loss to Alexandrova

March 26, 2024

Iga Swiatek saw her pursuit of a second career Sunshine Double come to an abrupt end after she suffered an upset defeat to Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Miami Open.

Alexandrova pulled off a memorable result courtesy of an inspired performance as she out-battled the Pole to come through in straight sets, 6-4 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in Florida.

Swiatek hit just eight winners with 16 unforced errors in a display that she will want to quickly forget about, but the evening belonged to Alexandrova, who is now into the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament for the third time in her career.

“We played quite a few times before and sometimes it was three sets,” Alexandrova said. “I think sometimes I was quite close to it but still far away.

“Winning against her, of course it feels great. I’m not sure if it’s a surprise or not, but I just worked quite hard on the court, and it paid off.”

Asked what particularly worked for her in the surprise victory, she added: “Just trying to go more inside the court, trying to hit everything in front of you so the opponent doesn’t have as much time.

“I think when it goes in its very good but sometimes it’s not working. But today, it worked.

“Second quarter-final here, second year in a row. Beating Iga after so many tries and she’s No.1, it’s the first time I beat a No.1. All three things are very special to me.”

Alexandrova has also defeated Donna Vekic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her run to the quarter-finals, and she will next face American Jessica Pegula, who overcame Emma Navarro in straight sets, 7-6(1) 6-3.

As for Swiatek, she was left to reflect on a hugely frustrating evening, but with her usual perspective.

“Disappointed, for sure, because I thought I was going to play better here in Miami,” Swiatek said.

“She played an amazing match and for sure, she was the better player out there today. Her serve, I had a hard time reading it. I got a little bit tense when I couldn’t return well.”

Ekaterina Alexandrova and Iga Swiatek of Poland shake hands at the net after the fourth round on Day 10 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium

Image credit: Getty Images