By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday April 26, 2024
The American picked up her first win on the red clay, in three tough sets over Olga Danilovic.
Photo Source: Getty
Danielle Collins – all she does is win.
That trend continued on Friday as the soon-to-be-retired American pushed past Serbian qualifier Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) for her 14th consecutive victory, and first on the red clay of Europe in 2024.
Collins had to work for it, and she didn’t seem to mind at all, as she displayed her trademark grit and took command of a match that hung in the balance for the better part of the two hour and 45-minute nightcap in the Caja Magica.
The Miami and Charleston champ says she’ll be done playing by the end of the season, off in search of greener – and healthier – pastures. For now she’s playing like a woman possessed, eager to make the most of the fading light of an admirable career.
Collins reached the third round in Madrid for the third time, and she will bid for her first round of 16 appearance in the Spanish capital against Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the round of 32. Cristian took out 22nd-seeded Barbora Krejcikova 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 earlier on Friday.
At some point this season Collins is bound to lose, but damn if the former University of Virginia standout (two-time NCAA champ) won’t go down without a fight, a fist-pump, and plenty of hollering for good measure…
Rybakina Continues Clay Mastery
The third round is now complete in Madrid on the women’s side, and last week’s Stuttgart champion is still in the mix. Elena Rybakina defeated Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti, 6-4, 6-3 to set a third-round clash with Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.
24-year-old Rybakina has posted 12 consecutive three-set wins on tour, but she didn’t need to go the distance to earn her 13th consecutive clay-court victory. The World No.4 also won last year’s Rome title, but was forced to retire at Roland-Garros due to illness. She swept through her first two rounds in Paris in straight sets, if you’re scoring at home.
With her win over Iga Swiatek (6-3, 4-6, 6-3) in Stuttgart last week, Rybakina is emerging as a true threat to the consensus queen of clay, which is saying a lot. Remember, Swiatek is a three-time Roland-Garros champion that has gone 40-4 since the start of 2022 on the surface.
The top-ranked and seeded Pole will be in action tomorrow against Sorana Cirstea – it’s the first match scheduled on Manolo Santana Stadium.
Other enticing women’s matches slated for Saturday are:
Third-seeded Coco Gauff vs Dayana Yastremska, the No.31 seed. Gauff, a 2022 Roland-Garros runner-up, could be a threat to raise the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen in Paris, but she’ll need some big wins to earn that honor. Gauff lost to Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart last week. Yastremska was magnificent during the Aussie summer in January, reaching her maiden Slam semifinal. At 23, the Ukrainian remains a player to watch.
Look out for both Sloane Stephens and Maria Sakkari as well. Stephens is a former Roland-Garros finalist and always plays well on clay – specifically in Paris. Sakkari, who recently paired with Jessica Pegula’s former coach David Witt, has been in solid form ever since the man who also coached Venus Williams started supporting her at Indian Wells. Sakkari reached the final in the California desert, the quarterfinals in Miami and the semis in Stuttgart.
Sakkari and Stephens are the second match in play on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium on Saturday in Madrid.