Danielle Collins raised her hands in triumph after a dramatic, hard-fought win at the Australian Open.
There was just one problem. She hadn’t actually won.
Collins’ celebration against Karolina Muchova on Wednesday came with a 7-3 lead in the third-set tiebreak, but in Grand Slams a tiebreaker that decides a match goes up to 10 points. The 13th-seeded American lost the next two points, but persevered for a 10-6 win to advance to the third round.
“I was a little embarrassed,” Collins said during the on-court interview. “I never had to play a tiebreak in the third set of Grand Slam before.”
Danielle Collins hits a shot during the second round of the Australian Open. APThe four Grand Slams — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open — have all switched over in recent years to this new tiebreak format.
“I really thought the match was over,” Collins said. “I told myself, at least you didn’t face plant. I had to keep things in perspective…I am not really good with the score, so maybe I have to work on that a little bit.”
Collins, 29, dropped the first set to Muchova before taking the second set, 6-2. The match lasted a grueling two hours and 55 minutes. With rain and heat delays holding up matches the past two days, the second-round battle didn’t end until after 1 a.m. in Melbourne.
Collins is at the site of her most significant tennis accomplishment after making a run to the finals in Australia last year — losing to then-No. 1 player Ash Barty, who has since retired from the sport.
Danielle Collins celebrates prematurely at the Australian Open Ricky Dimon/Twitter
Danielle Collins (right) and Karolina Muchova share a handshake after the match. AFP via Getty ImagesCollins now faces 23rd-ranked Russian Elena Rybakina in the third round, with top-seeded Iga Swiatek likely awaiting the winner of that matchup in the Round of 16.
