Collins wins her first Masters in her farewell season

Danielle Collins was honored in Miami before hanging up her racket at the end of the season. At 30 years old, from number 53 in the world and without being seeded, the American defeated Elena Rybakina (4th) 7-5 and 6-3 in 2h02 to win the first Masters 1,000 of her career.

Collins, who doesn’t have a sponsor, clinched her third career title after winning in Palermo and San José. The two-time NCAA champion, a native of Miami, faced all odds and reached the final in Australia in 2022. In Miami, she took advantage of Rybakina’s tiredness. The Kazakh player could not defend her title in Indian Wells due to a stomach virus. She showed up in Miami after an eight-day break without touching her racket and had a tough time reaching the final. All but one of her matches went to three sets, and she played a total of 69 sets - an absolute agony.

In the first set, the local player saved five break points and managed to secure hers when it was necessary, thus avoiding a tiebreaker. In the second set, at the first opportunity, she tried to break again, but nervously, she let Rybakina immediately return it to her. The anxiety to finish the match made Collins struggle, but after securing a second break for 5-3, she managed to close the set on the fourth point of the match. She began to cry after releasing the tension.

On her big day, Collins played in front of tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Andre Agassi. She surprised everyone by becoming the second unseeded champion in Miami since Kim Clijsters achieved the feat in 2005. It was a wonderful gift for her last year on the circuit.