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World No. 30 Danielle Collins stormed into the 2022 Australian Open final after beating No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, here on Thursday.
Collins, No. 27 seed, delivered an irresistible performance to upset World No 9 Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 and reach her first Grand Slam final.The American tennis player is now guaranteed to make her Top 10 debut next week, surpassing her previous career high of No 23, set in Jan 2019. Last March, she underwent surgery to treat endometriosis; since returning, she has compiled a 36-10 record, including her first two WTA titles in Palermo and San Jose.âIt feels amazing. Itâs been such a journey and it doesnât happen overnight. Itâs been so many years of hard work and hours at an early age on court. Itâs incredible to be on this stage, especially with my health challenges, Iâm just so grateful. I couldnât be happier,â said Collins.âToday you saw my âPlan Aâ and I wanted to go out there an execute it as best I could. It was working for me really well today so I just had to stick with it,â she added.
The 28-year-old Collinsâ intent was clear from the very first game, in which she pounded a succession of returns as hard and deep as she could, to overwhelm Swiatek with pure first-strike tennis. Throughout the match, Collins never wavered in her commitment to this, and her magnificent execution barely let up.
She slammed 27 winners, including seven off the return and seven aces, to only 13 unforced errors. Collins won 78 per cent of her first serve points and 86 per cent when facing Swiatekâs second serve. On the other hand, Swiatek did not play a poor match, aside from her questionable decision to repeatedly serve into Collinsâ lethal backhand. Overwhelmed by Collinsâ lightning-fast start, the Pole quickly found herself down 4-0.(IANS)
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