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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday August 11, 2021


Simona Halep, making her first appearance on the WTA Tour since injuring her calf in Rome this spring, left it all on the court in her second-round match against American Danielle Collins.

Collins, who stretched her career-best winning streak to 12 with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Romanian, did the same.

Tennis Express

The result was a contest to savor; a heated battle between two driven soldiers of the sport, each gunning for a special win.

In the end it was Collins, winner of back-to-back titles in Palermo and San Jose, who found a way to survive. She converted her fifth match point of an epic final game to lock up the victory before engaging in a warm handshake with her adversary at the net.


“It was a great match in my opinion,” an upbeat Halep told reporters after the match. “After three months of a break, I played really well. Yeah, I am happy with everything today. Just sad that I lost the match, but I'm getting better.”

Collins echoed the sentiments. During her on-court interview the American said that she was feeling pain in the third set but was unwilling to quit. After battling through myriad health issues over the last few seasons, Collins has finally hit her stride after a diagnosis of Endometriosis lead to the removal of a tennis ball-sized cyst from her overy earlier this year.

She's playing so well, almost in a dream trance, she doesn't want to stop - that would be like waking up from the perfect dream.

Collins had never played a WTA final prior to this summer. Now she has two titles to her name and is toting the tour’s longest winning streak.

Collins will take on compatriot Jessica Pegula in the round of 16 at Montreal. It will be interesting to see what she has left in the tank, having been through so much in the last few weeks.

Halep was up a break twice in the third set but Collins did not relent and eventually locked down the victory in two hours and 55 minutes. It was a breathtaking performance from both, and one that will likely stick in the back of Collins' mind as she continues to climb the rankings.

To fight through so much against one of the game's premier players, and come out on top, can do wonders for the confidence. If Collins can keep her body fit, we might see her benefit from the experience on the big stage at the US Open this summer.


 

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