Australian Open 2022: Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (27) Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson.
Date: 22 January 2022.
Tournament: Australian Open 2022.
Round: Third round (Round of 32).
Venue: Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $75,000,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv.
Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson preview
27th seed Danielle Collins will aim for a spot in the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open when she faces off against 19-year-old Clara Tauson on Saturday.
The American has picked up from where she left off last season in which she won a couple of titles. Collins has made a smooth start to the 2022 Australian Open, notching up commanding wins over Caroline Dolehide and Ana Konjuh in her first two rounds.
Danielle Collins battles past Ana Konjuh 6-4 6-3.
A match played in great spirits 馃憣
馃嚭馃嚫 Danielle Collins battles past Ana Konjuh 6-4 6-3.
#AusOpen 路 #AO2022 https://t.co/vj4YyRG7QX
Collins will now be eager to continue the momentum and make a return to the second week of the Slam, having made the semifinals in 2019.
Danish teenager Clara Tauson, meanwhile, has been touted as the next big thing in women's tennis over the past couple of years. The Copenhagen-born youngster underlined her potential in 2021 with two titles at Lyon and Luxembourg, in addition to recording a runner-up finish at Courmayeur.
Her exploits have now put her in a career-best 39th position in the women's rankings.
The 2019 Australian Open girls' singles champion has carried that form into the new season. Having reached the quarterfinals in the Melbourne Summer Set 2, she has now made a dream main draw debut at the Australian Open.
She dispatched Astra Sharma in the first round and produced some scintillating tennis to knock out sixth seed Anett Kontaveit 6-2, 6-4 for her maiden top-10 scalp.
Clara Tauson upsets No. 6 seed Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-4.The future is NOW 馃檶
19-year-old 馃嚛馃嚢 Clara Tauson upsets No. 6 seed Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-4.
#AusOpen 路 #AO2022 https://t.co/Z7sy8NWZ8j
Buoyed by her big second-round win, Tauson will look to continue her sizzling run in the inaugural Major of the season when she meets Collins.
Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson head-to-head
Collins leads the head-to-head against Tauson 1-0, having won their solitary encounter at the 2020 Roland Garros 6-2, 6-3.
Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson prediction
Both Collins and Tauson will look to dictate play in this battle between two aggressive players.
Tauson will be keen to draw inspiration from her second-round win over Kontaveit, where she hardly did anything wrong on both serve and return. She served five aces and won 73% of her first serve points. Tauson absolutely crushed Kontaveit's second serve, bagging 63% of such points.
The teen phenom kept it clean and tidy, producing 20 winners to just 13 unforced errors in the entire match. While that was a truly breathtaking performance from the youngster, Kontaveit made her job easier with 27 unforced errors of her own.
It might not be as smooth against a player of Collins' caliber as she has been pretty steady in her matches so far. The American won 74% of her first serve points and 60% of her second serve points against Konjuh, with 14 winners to 18 unforced errors. Collins was also flawless on break points, converting all three opportunities she had.
The World No. 30 has the experience of reaching the semifinals on these courts and has also beaten the Dane before. If Collins can control her aggression as expertly as she did against Konjuh, she will put pressure on Tauson, who has never reached this stage before.
Prediction: Danielle Collins to win in two tight sets.