TENNIS player Danielle Collins beat Caroline Garcia to advance to the semifinals of the Miami Open with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over the French player, Wednesday (27/3).
Garcia came into the match having stunned third American Coco Gauff, but was unable to gain a foothold once morest the Floridian.
Garcia still appeared to be struggling with an injury to his right shoulder and received some treatment early in the second set.
Collins broke for a 5-3 lead in the first set and went on to win the set, then in the second broke in the third game and never looked back as he completed victory in one hour and 19 minutes.
Collins reached the Miami semifinals six years ago as a qualifier and at No. 53 was the tournament’s lowest semifinalist.
The 30-year-old American is now 4-0 once morest Garcia and has yet to drop a set once morest the Frenchman, but said the numbers don’t reflect the real story.
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“I think playing once morest someone like Caro, it forces me to concentrate more. I knew I didn’t want to give him a chance or he might get into the game,” Collins said.
Garcia said he felt the tempo of back-to-back tournaments.
“It’s been a long two weeks for my body, between the back problem at the start and then the shoulder coming back,” he told reporters, adding that the shoulder problem was a recurrence of a previous injury.
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“I don’t think it’s that serious but (the shoulder) is always a problem for tennis players,” he said, before adding Collins had played “an incredible match”.
Collins intends to retire at the end of this year, but although he agreed that he appeared relaxed in his playing, he rejected the idea it was a result of his impending departure from the sport.
“I think I feel pretty relaxed, but that might be due to a number of things. I’ve got new hobbies. I’m playing more golf, running more, Pilates, all these different things,” he said.
“My dog is here. I feel relaxed because I can be with him at night. I don’t know,” he said with a smile.
Collins will face the winner of the other quarter-final between compatriot Jessica Pegula and Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat world number one Iga Swiatek in the previous round. (AFP/Z-3)
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