WATCH: Danielle Collins overwhelmed with emotion after beating Elena Rybakina to triumph at Miami Open 2024 in her retirement year
Danielle Collins secured the biggest title of her career in her farewell year by bettering Elena Rybakina in the final of the 2024 Miami Open.
Collins reached the title contest in Miami in impeccable form and took on last year's runner-up, Elena Rybakina, on March 30. The American looked one step ahead of the World No. 4 throughout the match. In the first set, both women saved multiple break points on their serves before Collins broke the Rybakina at 6-5 to take the all-important advantage.
The 30-year-old then broke Rybakina's serve twice in the second set to win the contest 7-5, 6-3, and lift her maiden WTA 1000 title in her home state. Rybakina had plenty of opportunities to get back into the game, but Collins, incredibly, saved 10 out of the 11 breakpoints on her serve to stifle the Kazakh's road to recovery.
Danielle Collins grew overwhelmed with emotion after winning the championship point rally. She shook hands with Rybakina before soaking up applause from a raucous home support at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Collins dropped only one set en route to the Miami Open triumph. She came back from set down to defeat her compatriot Bernarda Pera in her opening-round contest and easily swept aside Anastasia Potapova, Elina Avanesyan, Sorana Cirstea, Caroline Garcia, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Rybakina to clinch the title.
Miami Open is Danielle Collins' third tour-level title
The 2024 Miami Open is the third WTA Tour-level tournament Danielle Collins has won in her career. Both of the American's previous two titles came in 2021 when she triumphed at the Palermo Ladies Open and more notably, the Silicon Valley Slassic.
Collins was the top seed at the WTA 250 Palermo Ladies Open and did not drop a set while defeating Katharina Gerlach, Madison Inglis, Astra Sharma, Zhang Shuai, and Elena Gabriela-Ruse.
At the WTA 500 Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Danielle Collins was the seventh seed and bettered Shelby Rogers, Sloane Stephens, Elena Rybakina, Ana Konjuh, and Daria Kasatkina en route to the title. The American's next final came at the grandest of stages, the 2022 Australian Open.
Collins was seeded No. 27 at the 2022 Australian Open and defeated Caroline Dolehide, Ana Konjuh, Clara Tauson, Elise Mertens, Alize Cornet, and Iga Swiatek before losing to home favorite and top seed Ashleigh Barty in the title contest. Collins also has a WTA Tour doubles title to her name, which she won the the Charleston Open, with Desirae Krawczyk being her partner.