Danielle Collins’ secret is to stay grounded.
The American’s stunning Australian Open run continued Tuesday, when the indestructible Collins came from behind to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to grab the first spot in the semifinals. Prior to Melbourne, Collins had never won a single match in a Grand Slam main draw in five tries.
Now, the 25-year-old has five against top competition.
“I think not being a superstar at a young age certainly humbled me, made me work harder for things,” Collins said after her quarterfinals win, via ESPN. “I was talented and athletic, but maybe not to the level that other players were at, like, 14, 15, 16. Not being a child prodigy, I went a different route. I wasn’t really sure if I could make it playing professional tennis when I was that age. Going to college was really crucial for me and my development. I think it’s made me hungrier.”
Collins’ hunger is often cited in her rise. She opted to go the collegiate route instead of turning pro when she was younger so she could have a plan if tennis didn’t work. After transferring from the University of Florida her freshman year, Collins was a standout at the University of Virginia, winning two NCAA women’s singles titles and finishing as the top-ranked player in the country when she graduated in 2016.
Collins started making her professional mark last season with back-to-back strong showings at Indian Wells and Miami, which included several upsets against top-20 players and a sponsorship deal with New Balance. She started last year ranked No. 167 in the world and started this year at No. 36.
In Australia, Collins started with a bang when she beat No. 14-seeded Julia Goerges, who had just won at Auckland a tournament earlier. After a confidence cruiser against No. 123 Sachia Vickery, she delivered two of the loudest blows of the tournament against No. 19 Caroline Garcia and No. 2 seed and three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber. Collins dropped just two games against Kerber in the 6-0, 6-2 thumping, which was her strongest performance so far.
“I’m feisty. I love making it kind of a war,” Collins said following the Kerber win. “If somebody wants to get in my face on my unforced errors, I have no problem getting right back at them and making it a feisty match.
“I love that, embrace it. I love when things get competitive. Stijn [de Gier, her coach] will tell you in the practices I’m always talking crap. Just kind of pulling people’s legs. Hey, I’m beating up on you today in practice. Better step your game up.”
She became the first former collegiate women’s player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since Lori McNeil did it at Wimbledon in 1994. Collins faces No. 8-seeded Petra Kvitova, whom she lost to in the first round at Brisbane earlier this year.
