By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Danielle Collins flew through seven straight games dispatching Alizé Cornet 7-5, 6-1 to reach her second Australian Open semifinal.
Photo credit: Getty
Air space above Rod Laver Arena was active today.
A jet flyover commemorated Australia Day while Danielle Collins soared to new heights sticking the landing on her second Australian Open semifinal.
Shapovalov: Umpires Give Nadal Favorable Treatment
Elevating her game at 5-all, Collins flew through seven straight games dispatching Alizé Cornet 7-5, 6-1 to reach the final four.
It's a monumental win for the former all-American as Collins surpasses 2020 champion Sofia Kenin rising to a career-high ranking of No. 14 in the live rankings to take over as new American No. 1.
Turbulent times have tested Collins in recent years.
The 27th-seeded Collins has battled rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that can create painful swelling in the joints. Last April, Collins endured emergency surgery to treat endometriosis. Physical trials have made the woman nicknamed "Danimal" even tougher and more appreciative of her current position.
“It means the world to me," Collins said. "I think as athletes, especially for myself, I’ve been playing tennis since I was seven years old. I’ve worked at this every day.
"I gave up so much as a kid to get to where I’m at now and the amount of hours I spent each day the court playing with my dad and him driving me around everywhere trying to get me the best resources to get to where I am today and with the health challenges and to be able to overcome that it means a lot to me and it means a lot to my family as well.”
Declining to sit on changeovers, Collins looked like a woman going places from the first point.
The two-time NCAA champion won 90 percent of her first serve points (28 of 31 first-serve points) and cracked 28 winners more than doubling Cornet's 11 winners.
It all added up to an 88-minute victory sending the 28-year-old St. Petersburg native into Thursday's semifinals against either 2020 Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek or Grand Slam giant killer Kaia Kanepi.
"It feels incredible I mean I think especially after some of the health challenges I’ve had to be able to get back to this level," Collins said. "And be able to compete like the way I have been and being able to be as physical as I have been is so rewarding. Playing against really good competitors, really good athletes to be able to compete with these women it’s an honor."
The weight and depth of Collins’ drives displaced Cornet into defensive positions behind the baseline. The Frenchwoman’s defense on the run helped her fight off three break points in the fourth game. Undeterred, Collins banged a backhand drive volley for a fourth break point.
This time, Collins converted. Flashing a diagonal forehand return, Collins swooped in for another backhand swing volley ending an 11-and-a-half minute break with a bang.
From love-30 down, Collins came back with four strong points backing up the break for 4-1 after 27 minutes.
Collins’ nickname, “Danimal”, is scripted across the front of her yellow-and-black Babolat bag and she showed ruthless commitment to the first strike registering the first love hold for the match for 5-2. Cornet pumped a jumping ace out wide responding with her own love hold and a firm “Allez!” ending the eighth game.
Serving for the set, Collins couldn’t find her first serve and missed her signature shot, the two-hander, twice in succession as Cornet broke back in the ninth game. Cornet’s three-game run leveled the set.
Collins edged ahead, 6-5, on the strength of a two-ace game.
Fifty-five minutes into the match, a courageous Cornet saved set point with a backhand down the line. On her second set point, Collins narrowly missed a forehand return down the line. The American fired a forehand down the opposite sideline for a third set point and closed on shanked forehand.
Collins doubled Cornet’s winner total—16 to 8—in the 58-minute first set.
Contesting her 63rd career Grand Slam, Cornet knocked off a pair of former world No. 1 major champions—Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep—en route to her first career major quarterfinal, but couldn't match Collins' pace or energy level.
The 27th-seeded Collins clocked successive return winners breaking to start the second set.
The American’s onslaught continued as Collins crushed Cornet’s serve slamming a crosscourt backhand winner to break again for 4-0.
When Cornet's final forehand expired in the net, Collins was through to her second Australian Open semifinal.