Miami Open: Collins beats Rybakina to clinch maiden title

Unseeded Danielle Collins captured the highest-level title of her career on Saturday, prevailing on home soil by toppling No.4 seed Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 to win the WTA 1000 Miami Open.

In an intense 2-hour and 2-minute display of power hitting by both players, 30-year-old Collins toughed out the win to take home her third career WTA singles title, her maiden WTA 1000 title, and her first title at any level since 2021.

“What a dream come true to have played at the level that I have played consistently over the last two weeks,” Collins said after her triumph.

“It’s just been amazing to go out today and to have felt the energy that I felt from the fans, and literally feel like I’m playing in front of thousands of my best friends, that was just surreal. I will never forget this day because of that.”

With the win, Collins becomes the first American woman to take home the Miami Open title since Sloane Stephens in 2018. She is the sixth American woman overall to claim the crown, joining Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, three-time champion Venus Williams, eight-time champion Serena Williams and Stephens.

Collins won her two previous titles in the span of a month in 2021, juggling continents (and surfaces) at Palermo, Italy and San Jose, U.S.A.

She made her Grand Slam final in Melbourne the following year, defeating Iga Swiatek in the semifinals before finishing runner-up to then-World No.1 Ashleigh Barty. However, until this week, Collins had not made another final since that Australian Open run.