Australian Open 2019, women's singles semifinals: Danielle Collins vs Petra Kvitova, Preview and Prediction
Head-to-head: Collins 0-1 Kvitova
Last meeting: 2019 Brisbane International (Kvitova won 6-7 7-6 6-3)
It is inconceivable to even imagine that Danielle Collins was going to make it to the second week, let alone reaching the semifinals of the 2019 Australian Open. However, the American who grew up with a dream of being a lawyer while playing college tennis, is now just two wins away from being a Grand Slam champion. The 25-year-old is not afraid of making the headlines, having already eliminated the No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber, Auckland champion Julia Goerges, and the 16th seed Caroline Garcia. She is the sole unseeded player remaining in the draw.
Petra Kvitova, the 2-time Wimbledon champion, acknowledged this to be her first semifinal of her 'second career' following that brutal attack a couple of years ago which almost ended her playing career. She will be wary of the threat that her semifinal opponent Collins possesses. The Czech was two points from defeat in their first meeting during the opening week of the year in Brisbane. Kvitova managed to rally from a set down to edge Collins in three sets.
The prize on offer is a final spot on Saturday, but for Kvitova it could be double celebration as she is firmly in contention of clinching the World No.1 ranking. The 28-year-old Czech, who reached the semifinals in Melbourne seven years ago, has not dropped a set yet, and has only conceded 22 games overall in her five matches. That will be a very worrying statistic for Danielle Collins whose serve could be a real area of weakness that Kvitova will look to exploit.
Prediction: Kvitova has been playing lights-out tennis. At the end of last year, it almost felt like that she was saving her best tennis for the Australian summer. Collins is certainly not one to be ruled out because reaching this stage of a Grand Slam is not a fluke, and she has fully merited her place in the semis.
The first set is key in this match because that is when Kvitova wants to assert her dominance and if Collins can stay solid and be aggressive on the forehand, we could have a match on our hands. Both these two players have contrasting stories and will want to end the week on a high. Kvitova is on top form right now and it is a big ask for Collins to even take a set. The American should be very proud of her efforts in Melbourne, but the underdog story is coming to an end here.
Petra Kvitova to win in straight sets.