American tennis player Danielle Collins has a lot on the line at the 2023 Australian Open.
The world No. 11 reached the final of the tournament last year before falling to Australian Ashleigh Barty.
Because ranking points in tennis refresh every year, the Floridian must at least make it to the final to sustain her current ranking. If she does not, she will see her ranking drop.
“I had good success here last year, but in my mind I just want to come here and try to have another good tournament,” Collins said ahead of the tournament. “I would be probably disappointed if I don't.”
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The 29-year-old narrowly defeated Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the first round in a tight three-set battle. After grabbing the first set 7-5, Kalinskaya rallied back to take the second set 7-5. With dominant serving and dictating the points, Collins won the third set 6-4 to book a spot in the second round.
Collins is up against Czech Karolína Muchová in the second round with the two squared away at 6-6 a piece in the first set.
“Every year I come here, I'm always really comfortable…I think the climate here is really similar to Florida where I grew up, so I'm really used to kind of playing in the hot conditions,” Collins said. “I feel like I have the most fun here [Melbourne] out of all the slams.”
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Collins, also known as “Danimal,” has a ferocious backhand and wicked return of serve that opponents have a hard time leveling up with. However, when Collins is not feeling it, she’s a completely different player who sprays balls around the court.
Before joining the pro tour, Collins played collegiate tennis at the University of Virginia, racking up two NCAA singles championships. She earned a bachelor’s degree in media studies and business. She also earned a master's in sports management at the University of Florida through a program partnering with the WTA.
Collins’ best Grand Slam singles result to date was reaching the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open.
