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Danielle Collins shared a childhood memory from the Miami Open with her father, Walter, after securing a spot in the final of the tournament in her home state.
Collins defeated 14th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and 15 minutes to propel herself into the final of the 2024 Miami Open - her first career WTA 1000 final. If the former World No. 7 manages to win the tournament, then she will make history as the first unseeded champion of the Miami Open since Kim Clijsters in 2005.
During the post-match on-court interview following her win over Alexandrova, Danielle Collins expressed her happiness at reaching the final. She stated that it was "more special" of doing so at the Miami Open as it takes place in her home state of Florida.
Collins also shared a childhood memory involving her father, Walter Collins. She recounted how, as a child, she had expressed a desire to attend a match at the Miami Open. Her father then had challenged her to participate in the tournament if she wanted to watch a game.
Reflecting on this moment, Collins expressed her pride in fulfilling that challenge and stated that playing at the Hard Rock Stadium has been "memorable" for her.
“It’s even more special in my home state. My dad said to me when I was a kid, I wanted to come here so bad he’s like, ‘You’re only going if you play in the tournament.’ So I had to make the tournament. I’ve had a couple good years here but this is definitely the most memorable,” Collins said.
Danielle Collins: "To have made the first finals of a 1000 level in my home state during my last season is just great"
Following her win over Ekaterina Alexandrova at the 2024 Miami Open semifinal, during the post match press conference, Danielle Collins talked about the significance of reaching a WTA 1000 final, especially in her home state and in her last season holds to her.
"To have made the finals, first finals of a 1000 level in my home state during my last season, this is just, like, great. I mean, the memories made this week on and off the court, yeah, I'm just over the moon. I'm playing great tennis. Having some good battles out there against really great players. That should give me a lot of confidence for Saturday," Danielle Collins said.
Collins stated that making it to the finals of a WTA 1000 tournaments is a "really big accomplishment" as players consider these biggest tournaments of the year aside from the Grand Slams.
She also mentioned that playing at home, while having her dog, family, and friends close by was "special."
"This feels like a really big accomplishment. I think all of us want to make finals of 1000-level tournaments. These are our biggest tournaments of the year, aside from the Grand Slams. This is just so special. I can't stress it enough about being in my home state and having my dog here, friends, family. It's really special," she added.
Danielle Collins will go up against Elena Rybakina in the final of the 2024 Miami Open.
