DANIELLE COLLINS IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN

The way Danielle Collins is playing at this time, her current tennis rankings Twill be higher, which will happen even if she loses Saturday’s Australian Open to top-ranked Aussie Ashleigh Barty.

Now at age 28, Collins is a rising veteran player who now appears in her initial major Grand Slam final. She has soared through the tournament in Melbourne Park, overpowering a stunned 7th-ranked Iga Swarek of Poland, 6-4, 6-1, in 78 minutes of the semifinals, with the high temperatures causing extra cold towel breaks.

She now meets up with Barty in which she says is “spectacular” to be lining up against the world’s No. 1, red-hot Barty, but she’s overjoyed to get this far for the first time. Collins followed up Barty’s 6-1, 6-3, win in 62 minutes over American Madison Keys in the other semis.

Her highest seeding until now was at No. 23. But she’s improved quite a lot by relying on a power game and imposes a relentless energy on every contest. Her booming forehand had Swatek often shaking her head. She attacked Swatek’s serve with sideline shots down each line, and some way beyond the reach for her.

Collins was well prepared. She hit 27 winners and had only 13 unforced errors. She began each serve with a break of serve and raced to 4-0 leads each time. She handily won set one, but in set two she went from being up 4-1 to a 4-4 tie via a Swatek rally.

But she responded quickly by serving three-straight booming aces down each side, and when she did come up with a pair of double faults, she won the game and then broke Swatek again.

“She was just super,” was the praise coming from Swatek, “she just hit em where I wasn’t, liners at full speed, and I was just unable to hang on.”

Now Barty becomes the first Aussie woman into the finals here since Wendy Turnbull in 1980. The last Australian singles champion was Chris O’Neil in 1978. Now the 25-year-old right-hander who covers the court like a blanket and is efficient with her mixed-in display of serves, plays in her own background.

No matter to Danielle Rose Collins. She’s just overwhelmed to be on the same court at this level and contend with Barty, the peoples choice, who lost to eventual champion, American Sofia Kenin in the 2020 semifinals.

Collins was a first team All-America twice at the University of Virginia, with the Cavaliers NCAA champions in 2014 and 2016. and was named the best female Honda Award player in 2016. She also played for Billie Jean King’s Philadelphia Freedom team in the World Tennis League.

The 25-year-old Keys, who hails from Pock Island, Ill, and who has also been on a hot streak with her variety of shots and skilled confidence, managed only eight winners to 20 for Barty, and was playing in the Australian Open semis for the first time since 2015. But the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up was just no match against Barty.

As for Collins, she raced past Russia’s Amanda Koniduh, 6-4, 6-3, in her opening match, then breezed past fellow American Caroline Dolehide, 6-1, 6-3. She dropped the first set, 4-6 to 19th-ranked Ellie Mertens of Germany, then won back-to-back 6-4 sets.

Against Carline Tuauson of Poland, she dropped the middle set, 4-6, after winning set one, 6-4, and set three 7-5. Then came a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Alexis Cornet of Great Britain before booming past Swatek.

Not bad, two players from the United States in this Grand Slam Final Four, and with Collins advancing to her furthest step, are batting .500. The title match will be played in the wee small Australian morning hours, and then taped.