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Match details
Fixture: (2) Elena Rybakina vs (7) Danielle Collins
Date: 6 August 2021
Tournament: Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: San Jose, United States
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $565,530
Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 2 am GMT, 7.30 am IST
Elena Rybakina vs Danielle Collins preview
Second seed Elena Rybakina will square off against seventh seed Danielle Collins on Friday, with a semifinal berth at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic 2021 up for grabs.
Rybakina has managed to find her best tennis after a difficult few months. The Kazakh has been on a roll in the past few weeks and has improved her win-loss record to 24-14.
The biggest highlights of the year for the resurgent World No. 20 have been a run to her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros and a couple of semifinal finishes at Eastbourne and the Olympic Games.
The 22-year-old suffered two heartbreaking losses in Tokyo, falling first to Belinda Bencic and then to Elina Svitolina, which prevented her from delivering Kazakhstan its first tennis medal at the Olympics.
Rybakina will be keen to put that setback behind her ahead of a crucial part of the season. The Kazakh began her San Jose campaign with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over American wildcard Claire Liu and will look to keep the momentum going.
Meanwhile, Rybakina's quarterfinal opponent, Danielle Collins, is in the middle of her most consistent season. The 27-year-old American has made the quarterfinals at least seven times this year.
The World No. 36 came into the US hardcourt season with a lot of confidence, having won her maiden WTA title just a few days prior at Palermo.
She has carried that form into San Jose, brushing past Shelby Rogers in straight sets in her opener, before posting a comeback win against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round.
Elena Rybakina vs Danielle Collins head-to-head
Elena Rybakina and Danielle Collins have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Elena Rybakina vs Danielle Collins prediction
This is a clash between two players who are in a rich vein of form.
Rybakina is an aggressive player who can serve aces at will and dominate baseline rallies with her flat forehands. The quick American hardcourts should suit her power game.
However, the Kazakh is known to crumble under pressure. This was evident at the Olympic Games, where she squandered sizable leads against Bencic and Svitolina to leave the Japanese capital empty-handed. That's an aspect of her game she will need to work on if she is to consistently compete at the highest level.
Collins, meanwhile, is a much steadier player than Rybakina. Her forehand does most of the heavy lifting in matches but she can also come forward to finish points at the net. However, her serve remains a major weakness and the American has the tendency to leak many double faults under pressure.
Rybakina has the firepower to hit through Collins and if she can cut down on her errors, she should be able to come through.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina to win in three sets.
