MDP Live - Three seasons after setting foot in the semifinals of the first Grand Slam of her career, Danielle Rose Collins is back in the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2022.
The 27th seed successfully beat French national Alize Cornet 7-5, 6-1 in 1 hour 28 minutes in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open which was held at Rod Laver Arena.
“This means a lot to me. I mean, as an athlete and myself, I've been playing tennis since I was 7 years old. I train every day, I sacrificed a lot as a kid so I can be where I am today. For hours I spent on the field with my dad and he drove me all over the place to get the best facilities to get me to where I am today. With all the challenges and being able to overcome them, I know this means a lot to me, and so to my family,” said Rose Collins.
The American made a breakthrough at Grand Slams when she competed at the 2019 Australian Open, precisely when she made sure to qualify for the semifinals as the world number 35. During that Grand Slam, she bagged her first win over a top 5 player when she defeated 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the last 16.
The 28-year-old has a 31-7 winning streak since last July. In that period, he had won 12 consecutive wins, which included winning back-to-back titles in Palermo (clay-court) and San Jose (hard-court).
Playing the first tournament of the 2022 season in Melbourne, he has a chance to debut in the top 10 after the Australian Open, but only if he manages to make it to the final.
While the defeat ended the best run of world number 61, Cornet in a Grand Slam. She beat former world number 1 Simona Halep to finally reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in 63 appearances at a Grand Slam.
Rose Collins had come from a set down in her previous two matches, but she held on tight to win a tight first set before sliding into the second without much of a hitch.
The American hit 28 winners, more than Cornet, who only hit 11 winners. Although she made 12 more unforced errors than the French, she claimed 90 percent of her first serve points and only lost on one occasion.
Waiting for Rose Collins in the Australian Open semifinals is the seventh seed, Iga Swiatek or the Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
