By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Sofia Kenin stamped a shutout set to cap a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 conquest of Danielle Collins and advance to her first Roland Garros semifinal.
Photo credit: @RolandGarros
Dragged into a final set by Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin didn’t flinch.
Kenin transformed this stress test into a major statement of identity.
More: Kvitova Charges Into Second RG Semifinal
The Australian Open champion struck with clean conviction stamping a shutout set to cap a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 conquest of Collins and advance to her first Roland Garros semifinal.
"This is really special," Kenin said after topping Collins for the first time in four meetings. "I'm super happy. I'm just really loving the French crowd here."
Moving fluidly, banging her backhand with authority and exuding calm aggression, Kenin raised her Grand Slam record to 15-1 this season.
A year after she surprised Serena Williams in Paris and pushed eventual-champion Ashleigh Barty to three sets, Kenin has emerged as a major player who expects herself to go deep in draws. Kenin improved to 8-1 vs. American compatriots in major matches scoring her 10th victory in 13 three-setters this season.
"I know her game really well," Kenin said. "it's not easy playing a fellow American. I obviously want all of us to do well. Obviously I knew it was going to be one American in the semifinals. And I mean, I think it's really great for American tennis to have a good quarterfinals matchup.
"I just knew her game, I knew what I needed to do. I'm just really happy. It's an honor to be in the semifinals, and I'm super happy that I won."
The fourth-seeded Kenin set up a sizzling semifinal of champions vs. two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova tomorrow.
The seventh-seeded Kvitova overpowered US Open doubles champion Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-3 to return to the French Open final four for the first time since 2012.
Winless in three prior meetings vs. Collins, Kenin asserted her authority as a major champion delivering her most dynamic performance of the tournament.
"I think I didn't start off playing the match the way that I would have liked to. I think Sonya was really coming up with some great shots today and playing some of her best tennis," Collins said. "Unfortunately that wasn't the case for me. I felt like I was kind of a little bit off with my shots. Sometimes just going for it and just wasn't working for me today.
"She played well. Obviously there is a physical ailment, but I don't want that to take away from the great tennis that she was playing."
Strutting around the court with confidence and pounding down the ball to punctuate service holds, Kenin had an answer for all Collins threw at her—not even blinking when the unseeded American left the court for a seven-minute medical timeout while down 0-4 in the final set.
It was a breakout Roland Garros for Collins, who arrived in Paris with precisely one career French Open win and showed spirited fight rallying past 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in three sets then fended off 30th-seeded Ons Jabeur in a three-set triumph yesterday.
This figured to be a match of fireworks between two feisty competitors capable of bold in-your-face tennis. Kenin kept her concentration between the lines showing the mental strength and emotional maturity that make her a champion.
Remember, it was just a few weeks ago, Kenin suffered a humiliating double-bagel loss to her sometime doubles partner, US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka, and looked a little lost and mentally fried on court.
Reconnecting with her inner power, Kenin turned in an electric performance pounding 38 winners and converting five of nine break-point chances today.
Five games into the match, Kenin made her move. Mixing in some higher topspin with drives down the line, Kenin earned triple break point and broke for 3-2 on Collins’ second double fault.
Kenin played a cleaner opening set moving the ball around the court and drawing 15 errors from Collins in the set.
Movement and balance were keys to Kenin’s success in the first set. Serving for the set, she slid out to a strong return and slammed a crosscourt backhand winner in response.
The Australian Open champion served out the set at 15. It was Kenin’s first set in three career meetings against the 26-year-old Collins.
The 57th-ranked Collins denied break point holding to start the second set. That stand spurred Collins, who earned double break point in the following game. Kenin saved both, including rapping a backhand winner, then caught a break when her net-cord shot dribbled over.
Standing strong, Kenin calmly leveled, while Collins showed signs of stress bouncing her boyfriend, Tom Couch, who was sitting behind the baseline a few seats away from coach Nicolas Almagro, out of his spot.
“Sit in a different spot, I’m distracted, sit in a different spot,” Collins said. “Go over there. Go.”
"I had my boyfriend move to a different spot because I was distracted by something in front of him," Collins explained afterward. "I just wanted to be able to look at him from a different location. Sometimes too when I was serving the ball, I could see my team in the background, and I didn't like that.
"Actually during the Muguruza match they sat on the side of the court, and then I really didn't like when they were sitting behind the court when I was playing Jabeur. Yeah, it was just a mental thing, I guess."
Midway through the second set, Collins was muttering misgivings to herself after Kenin caught the baseline for double break point. Seeing her opponent’s frustration further galvanized Kenin who drew a loopy error breaking for 3-2.
The former NCAA champion needed to turn the tide and Collins dug in and did exactly that. Kenin netted a drop shot ending an 18-shot rally to face break point. Carving out a clever short-angled backhand, Collins earned her first break of the day to level.
Anticipating the Kenin drop shot, Collins was moving into the court with more urgency. She ran down a drop shot and spun a forehand winner down the line bellowing a loud “come on!” seizing a 5-4 second-set lead.
The Collins two-handed backhand is her boldest and most versatile shot. Collins belted a backhand return down the line and followed it up with a terrific backhand topspin lob earning double set point.
Kenin came up with a pair of solid serves to save both but jerked a running forehand wide as Collins gained a third set point. Undaunted, Kenin cracked a forehand down the line.
The drop shot-lob combination cultivated a fourth set point for Collins. This time she converted driving the ball deep to coax the error to force a final set with her loudest “come on!” of the day.
A fired-up Collins had the momentum, but Kenin snatched it away breaking at love to start the final set.
Burning competitive desire is one reason why Kenin is a major champion. She summons blazing intensity when she needs it most. Down love-30, Kenin cranked a stinging serve sparking her through a crucial hold to back up the break.
Stepping inside the baseline to greet a second serve on the rise, Kenin punished a backhand return winner crosscourt to go up a double break.
After Kenin extended the lead to 4-0, Collins, who played three physical sets topping Ons Jabeur yesterday, called for the trainer seeking treatment—and to possibly stall her red-hot opponent.
After about a seven-minute break for treatment off court, Collins returned to action. She probably should have left the drop shot in the locker room. Collins twice tried to drop shot the Australian Open champion only to see the quick-footed Kenin easily reach both. She slid a forehand down the line on the second scoring her third break of the set for 5-0.
"I just feel like in the third set I've gotten better, starting off strong, not making too many errors, just playing aggressive, and trying to dictate," Kenin said. "I feel like I've really improved on that, because usually I kind of start off a little bit slow or just start making some easy mistakes and the points go fast.
"So I feel like I'm doing a really good job with keeping my ground and staying focused, yeah, starting off strong in the third set, because obviously I don't want to go too down. I want to start off with the lead, and luckily I'm getting a good lead in the third set."
Another Kenin drop shot left Collins skidding in vain giving the younger American match point. Kenin cranked a crosscourt backhand to book her first Roland Garros semifinal in two hours, four minutes.
The victory vaults Kenin to world No. 4 in the live rankings and sets up another major test. Kvitova has won both of their prior meetings including a 6-1, 6-4 sweep on Madrid clay last year.