Collins slams 52 winners in win over Cornet, sets up Sabalenka clash

Danielle Collins beat Alize Cornet 6-4, 7-6 (9) on Saturday night to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the first time

Danielle Collins at the 2022 US Open

Haresh Ramchandani

September 4, 2022

American Danielle Collins hit an impressive 52 winners in a hard-fought straight-sets win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet to reach the fourth round of the US Open in New York on Saturday.

Collins, known for her ability to slam winners off both flanks at will, took control of the match with her 52 winners, more than cancelling out her 29 unforced errors to beat Cornet 6-4, 7-6 (9), saving three set points in a tense second set.

“I was really impressed with the quality of serving on both sides” Collins mentionned after the match. “One of the things that Alize does on her serve is she mixes her targets and has incredible placement. Even if it’s not coming in at a really, really high speed, she’s placing it so close to the lines, sometimes it skids.

“That was happening quite a bit. She was holding, I was holding. Went to battle in the tiebreak. Luckily got a couple points on her serve. That gave me some confidence. Was able to close it out.”

Danielle Collins has it all working 🙌 pic.twitter.com/3NMLv5EqUn
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2022

The 28-year-old Collins, who reached the Australian Open final in January, already defeating Cornet in quarter finals, needed one hour and 53 minutes to reach the fourth round at her home Slam for the first time in her career.

Collins has yet to drop a set this week, having scored a 7-6, 6-3 win over Naomi Osaka (7-6 (5), 6-3) and a 6-2, 7-5 win over Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa (6-2, 7-5).

Game, set, match, Collins. pic.twitter.com/hSn9LaQJLn
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2022

Collins aiming for first win over Sabalenka in next round

She will next meet sixth seeded Aryna Sabalenka, against whom she has a 0-3 record, Collins will be hoping to score her first win over the Belarusian just as she did against Osaka earlier in the week after losing her first three matches to the Japanese player.

Two of their previous three matches have come at the US Open itself with Sabalenka winning in three sets in the first round in 2018 and in straight sets in the third round last year.

“I’m not really a vengeful person” commented Collins. “I just kind of come out here and do my best. Love to compete. Any win is a bonus for me. Lucky to be here with a lot of the challenges I faced. I’m motivated from within. I just do the best that I can. I’ve got an incredible work ethic. I think that that comes out a lot in my performances.”