The 28-year-old American, largely unheralded for most of her career, gets her first crack at a grand slam title against top-ranked Ash Barty in the Australian Open women’s final
When first-time Grand Slam finalist Daniel Collins of the United States takes on Australian-born and world No. 1 Ash Barty in the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Saturday, it seems a sublime matchup of contrasts. While Barty, in search of his third major title, is the clear favorite he will have to overcome the inspired Collins, who is in the best form of his career.
For 30th-ranked Collins, 28, reaching the finals is the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance as her powerful, high-risk, aggressive game is finally paying dividends. Plus, Collins' return from surgery to treat endometriosis last spring has given her a renewed sense of optimism and focus. One of the pre-tournament favorites, Collins spoke about his physical recovery before he demolished the semi-finals of Inga Swietec. "It eventually got to the point where I couldn't physically or mentally deal with it any longer. Once I was able to get a proper diagnosis and surgery, I feel like it helped me a lot Not only from the physical point of view but also from the mental point of view." Indeed, since July, Collins has a sterling record of 32-7 singles.
Collins' rise to the top of the game is contrary to the prevailing norms in women's tennis. Compared to his American peers, who had reached a high level of success or renown at a young age (the Williams sisters, Sophia Kenin, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Coco Gough, etc.), Collins was in his late 20s. Women's tennis is normally in the late middle age years. Consider, Collins didn't even turn pro until age 22, after a stellar collegiate career that won him two NCAA titles at the University of Virginia.
The all-court, go-to-broke game that Collins has had has always made him one of the most entertaining players to fans. And while many high-ranked women have brutal groundstrokes, what makes Collins unique is that she's just as adept at the forecourt, allowing her to finish points faster. Yet the reason Collins' game took longer to mature into a top-tier player was because of his lack of on-court decision-making. But he has now married his all-court abandon with a newfound strategic acumen and heightened mental focus, rapidly developing into one of the most dangerous players on tour. (The men's side Denis Shapovalov is undergoing a similar transformation.) Collins' full arsenal of shots was seen during Thursday's broad beating of Slam champion Swietake. It was probably the best win of his career.
Collins would love to play against Barty in the final as well as she did in the semi-finals. This is a much, much more difficult question. As mentioned above, this is a final with many of the contradictions one might expect. The differences are numerous: Barty turned pro at age 14, while Collins was 22; Collins plays with extraordinary power and takes high risks to crush his enemies, while Barty uses touch and spin and a staggering array of angles to fend off his opponents; At 5 feet 5 inches, Barty is relatively short by women's tennis standards, while Collins stands at 5 feet 10 inches. The two have played four times, with Barty leading the rivalry 3–1. Collins won his last meeting in the 2021 Australian Open tune-up event.
Look for a service return to be the key to the match, especially for Collins. While Barty doesn't have the power of Collins, she is still one of the best servers in women's tennis - if not the best - with a simple, natural pace and an unnatural ability to keep the ball in all corners of the box. To wit: Barty held 63 consecutive service games during this Australian Open.
Which is why Collins will have to take chances with his return, especially on the second serve. In Swietec's semifinal win, Collins won an astonishing 86% of the second serve's return points (including seven all-out winners). It will be imperative for Collins to dominate the court-positioning at the starting points so that he can quickly put Barty on the defensive. Collins will likely move up the court upon return, especially on Barty's second delivery.
In the end, will the hidden strength - nerves - always be a deciding factor in any Slam final? All the pressure, as well as the support of the house-crowd, will be on Barty's side. The extremely friendly home favorite knows the history she's up against: An Australian woman hasn't won her home Slam since Chris O'Neill in 1978 (Mark Edmondson was the last Australian to win in 1976). How she handles expectations may well determine the outcome of the match.
Whatever happens in a sultry Melbourne Saturday evening, it seems to be a competition that is guaranteed to please.