By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday April 7, 2024
Danielle Collins dominated from start to finish as she became the first woman to win Miami and Charleston in the same season since Serena Williams in 2013.
Danielle Collins has been a force to be reckoned with from the moment she took the court for her first match at the Miami Open three weeks ago.
Nothing changed on Sunday in Charleston as the 30-year-old former World No.7 fired past Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 for her thirteenth consecutive win and a slice of WTA history. With her win, Collins becomes the first woman to secure Miami and Charleston titles back-to-back since legend Serena Williams in 2013.
Playing with full confidence, Collins went on the attack from the start and never relented as she overpowered 2017 champion Kasatkina with a steady and unplayable diet of pace and precision.
30-year-old Collins dropped just one first serve point and feasted on Kasatkina’s second serve, winning 21 of 29 points against it.
After racing out to a 5-0 lead in the second set, Kasatkina temporarily stopped the bleeding, but Collins closed the contest emphatically with a hold of serve, making it eight for eight in service games, at the 77-minute mark.
Collins, who announced her plans to retire at the end of the season in January, has played with unbridled passion and intensity in the waning days of her career, taking no prisoners as she rises up the rankings.
"I want to say that I'm gonna miss you on tour, but after this match I'm not so sure," Kasatkina said on court after the final with a giggle.
Collins has won 26 of 28 sets since the start of the Miami Open, and will rank No.15 in Monday’s WTA rankings -- she was No.71 in the first week of February. The former Universityh of Virginia standout ties Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina for the WTA lead in wins in 2024 with 22.
More to follow…