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Danielle Collins’ match fatigue in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open was there for all to see. The American made a huge blunder regarding her score in the third set against Karolina Muchova.
The match between 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins and 2021 Australian Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova went on until the wee hours of the morning. The non-surrendering duo were locked in a tight battle that advanced to a deciding tie-break.
It is worth noting that in 2019, the Australian Open became the first Grand Slam event to implement a 10-point tiebreaker in the final set. Meanwhile, the rest followed suit in 2022.
As it happens, Danielle Collins, who already seemed exhausted by the rollercoaster match which stretched for almost three hours, was completely unaware of such a rule. The 28-year-old thus assumed that a regular tie-break with seven points to reach the finish line will take place.
While the tie-break score was 6-3 in the American’s favor, Muchova produced an unforced error, which prompted Danielle Collins to prematurely celebrate victory.
It was only when the World No. 11 turned around to shake hands with her opponent that the chair umpire made her realize that the match was still in progress. A perplexed Collins was initially unable to make sense of the situation, but soon grasped her mistake.
Thankfully for the American, she bounced back from the embarrassment well in time to finally register an actual victory against Muchova, 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(6).
"I just told myself, 'Well, at least you didn't faceplant'" – Danielle Collins laughs off her misunderstanding at Australian Open
In the on-court interview after the match, Danielle Collins revealed that she was embarrassed about the misunderstanding. The American, however, was able to see the funny side of the whole situation after pulling through in the gruelling encounter. She even suggested that the idea that things could have been worse is what kept her going.
“I was a little embarrassed. I guess I just never had to play a tiebreaker in the third set in a Grand Slam. So, I just really thought the match was over and then I was really feeling a little bit embarrassed so I just told myself, ‘Well, at least you didn’t faceplant or something on the floor,’ you know? I was just trying to keep things in perspective.”
The 2022 Australian Open runner-up further sheepishly admitted that she had to work on her score-reading skills.
“Yeah, I’m not good with the score either. Sometimes I forget. So yeah, I gotta work on that maybe, a little bit,” she confessed.
Collins, who has a lot to lose in the on-ongoing tournament, now faces the tough test of overcoming reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to proceed to the Round of 16.
