Australian Open 2022: An upset on the cards in the semifinals of the Australian Open as Danielle Collins takes down No.7 seed Iga Swiatek for her maiden Grand Slam final.
Collins seventh career Top 10 win, and second on the Grand Slam stage following her fourth-round upset of Angelique Kerber at 2019 Australian Open.
Right from the start, Collins was aggressive. Winning the first game to overwhelm Swiatek with first-strike tennis. She came up with a plan and executed it with perfection.
The American slammed 27 winners and seven aces and only racked 13 unforced errors. She served superbly winning 78% of her first serve points and punching on Swiatek’s loose second serve with 86% points.
Swiatek did not play a poor match, aside from her questionable decision to repeatedly serve into Collins’ lethal backhand. Overwhelmed by Collins’ lightning-fast start, the Pole quickly found herself down 4-0 but responded well as she attempted a first-set comeback.
Iga Swiatek came back and reduced the deficit to 5-4 saving three set points and gaining valuable momentum. However, Collins held tight as she served out the first set with a pair of aces and a service winner.
She broke Swiatek immediately in the second set with a gloriously angled backhand winner, and there was to be no further opening. Collins swatted a forehand return winner to reach match point and converted her second with a backhand that was too hot for Swiatek to handle.
Danielle Collins: “With the tactics and game plan that I had, getting off to the solid start that I had, I felt like I was really in the zone,” she said afterward. “There wasn’t a lot getting in my way. I was in a really good rhythm, hitting the ball really cleanly, moving the ball around well.
“When I have a really clear idea of my tactics and what I want to do, it’s easier for me to get there. But then, just like any other athlete and I think all of us on tour, we have days where we try to get in the zone and we can’t. Today it really worked in my favor, and I was able to get there.
“I’m hoping that I have many more matches like that in the future, but you also have to be realistic with yourself and realize that you’re not going to play that way every single time. But I think it really helps when you can have a real clear roadmap to what you want to do on the court and how you want to execute your game plan.”
Australian Open 20222, Danielle Collins vs Iga Swiatek semifinals highlights.
