Danielle Collins continued her remarkable run of form by claiming victory in the Charleston Open title with a crushing win over No.4 seed Daria Kasatkina in a one-sided final.
The inspired Collins needed just one hour and 17 minutes to beat world No 11 Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 as she followed up the biggest win of her career in the Miami Open with another significant title.
By winning this WTA 500 event, Collins continued her rapid rise back up the WTA rankings and she will now be eyeing up a return to the top 10.
Collins had a career-high ranking of No 7 in July 2022 and that mark is now within her sights as she has proved to be a match for the best in the game over the last few weeks.
This experienced performer confirmed she will be retiring from tennis later this year and that decision has sparked a sensational return to form for the 32-year-old.
Yet she openly admitted her expectations were low as she made the transition from the hard courts in Miami to the grey clay courts in Charleston.
Despite expressing doubts over whether she could challenge for another WTA Tour title after limited practice on clay courts, the form she showed to dismiss Kasatkina suggests she could be a player to watch when she gets on the clay courts in Europe.
“I had a lot of matches in Miami, and I had a lot of matches here,” said Collins.
“I had, at one point in this tournament, two matches in one day, which is not easy to pull off. I don’t know if I’ve done that before as a professional. I feel like the last time I did that was like in 12-and-unders.
“So to be able to physically battle and push myself to a new limit gives me a lot of confidence.
“I’ve been so happy to be, obviously, playing at the level that I’ve been playing, but to be able to back it up two weeks in a row has just been fantastic.”
In a jovial interview with the Tennis Channel conducted with Collins’ dog Quincy sitting on her lap, the increasingly joyous American star could not contain her delight.
“To come out here and back it up, be so focused and carry that momentum (from Miami) is so satisfying,” she said.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I ordered by Under Eats last night and I had my tacos in bed and the hot sauce went everywhere. I feel like I came out with the hot cause vibes! It was a spicy performance today.
“I came out playing my aggressive game style, taking big swings. I just had to be patient and consistent and go for big shots.
“I feel like when I’m on the court I’m fired up and thinking rock and roll. When I come off I’m pretty laid back. I’m ready to pop up my feet and chill.
“I’m feeling people are getting to know me better and that’s great.”
The revival of Collins is one of the most unexpected tennis stories of 2024, with the player making it happen on court admitted she is as surprised as anyone by her winning success.
She was sitting at No 71 in the WTA Rankings in early February and was forced to play in qualifying to get through to the main draw at the Qatar Open.
After making it through to the quarter-finals of that tournament, she picked ranking points consistently before being taken apart by world No 1 Iga Swiatek in Indian Wells.
After Swiatek dished out a 6-3, 6-0 defeat to Collins in that event, it was hard to imagine what would come next.
Collins collected 1,000 ranking points for her win in the Miami Open and now she has another 500 points to add to her tally, pushing her up to No 15 in the updated list.
As Collins has very few ranking points to defend over the next few weeks from 2023 and if she can continue her 13-match winning run on European clay courts, she could be back in the top 10 by the time she gets onto grass courts in June.
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