"VAN" (Sports Desk - 31.08.2022) :: Winless in three previous encounters with Naomi Osaka, American Danielle Collins finally broke into the win column on a rainy Tuesday night at the US Open, upending the two-time US Open champion and former world No. 1, 7-6(5), 6-3, to advance to the second round.
“When you lose to someone three times, you get a lot of information on what you can do better,” said Collins, who overcame nine double faults on the night. “I just wanted to give myself the best shot to try to improve and do better than I did the last time and the time before, because with Naomi being the player that she is, she definitely whooped me the last time.
“I just had to go out and learn from that and make adjustments. I think, overall, I did that. When you lose to somebody three times, you kind of have nothing to lose.”
Osaka looked to be in control early, racing out to a 3-0 advantage in the opening set. But Collins would reel off three unanswered games of her own to bring the set back on serve and eventually force a tiebreak. Once there, Collins’ relentless defense would prove the difference.
Collins had never previously managed to win a set against her 44th-ranked opponent.
With Osaka serving at 3-4, 30-40 in the second set, Collins forced a forehand error to secure the break. The former University of Virginia standout then stepped up to serve out the match in one hour and 34 minutes.
Despite claiming the US Open title in both 2018 and 2020, Osaka came into the match unseeded, having dropped her last three matches.
The high-profile win over the 24-year-old Japanese superstar might be just what the 19th-ranked Collins needs. She broke through to her first major final earlier this year at the Australian Open, but hasn’t won back-to-back matches since reaching the Miami quarterfinals in March. She withdrew from summer events in San Jose, Toronto and Cincinnati with a neck injury.
“It’s been really tough, mentally, when you are dealing with a handful of injuries. It can be mentally agonizing,” said Collins. “It’s been a painful experience at times, not just physically, but emotionally. I’ve had to work through that. Today was just so rewarding because I really struggled a lot in the middle of the year. It’s so hard to go out on the court when you’re playing with physical pain and not knowing how to manage it.”
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