"Feeling so loved" - Danielle Collins revels in company of pregnant Alison Riske-Amritraj as she celebrates Charleston Open triumph
Danielle Collins, who recently won the Charleston Open trophy, spent time with her close friends, including pregnant Alison Riske-Amritraj.
Collins came into the Charleston Open riding the wave of her Miami Open triumph, and her rich vein of form continued. The former WTA World No. 7 stormed into the final after beating Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Sloane Stephens, Elise Mertens, and Maria Sakkari.
In the final, Collins faced Daria Kasatkina and overpowered the Russian with ease. The American was particularly devastating with her first serve, winning a staggering 95% of her first serve points. At the other end, Kasatkina's game was marred by errors throughout the contest.
Ultimately, Collins won 6-2, 6-1 to lift her second trophy of the season and fourth overall in her career. Following the post-match formalities, the 2022 Australian Open finalist spent time with Alison Riske-Amritraj, who is one of Collins' best friends on the WTA Tour. Riske-Amritraj's husband Stephen and Collins' boyfriend Bryan Kipp were also present.
Overwhelmed by the love showered on her by her friends, Collins took to social media to share pictures of the moments spent with them. One of Collins' posts featured the group all smiles at a restaurant as she captioned:
"Feeling so loved by my peeps"
In another post, Collins and Riske-Amritraj posed in front of a board with a congratulatory message for the Charleston Open champion.
"Love this girl and (baby emoji) so much!!" Collins captioned the post.
In late March this year, Riske-Amritraj announced via social media that she and her husband are expecting a baby girl this summer.
Danielle Collins' Charleston Open success saw her re-enter the top 15 of the WTA Tour rankings
Collins has become the new WTA World No. 15 following her exploits at the Charleston Open. This is the first time since January 2023 (World No. 11) that the 30-year-old is ranked among the top 15 women's tennis players in the world.
The former World No. 7's recent rise up the WTA Tour rankings has been remarkable. Collins started February ranked World No. 71. However, runs at the Abu Dhabi Open and Qatar Open, and title wins at Miami and Charleston, have transformed her fortunes in just two months.
Because Collins has to defend only 81 ranking points over the next four months, she can break into the top 10 again.