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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins
Date: January 18, 2024
Tournament: Australian Open 2024
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: A$86,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Sports & Sony Liv | Canada - TSN & RDS
Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins preview
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will play againts Danielle Collins in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open on Thursday.
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Swiatek faced former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in her opener. The top seed rallied from a break down twice in the first set and even stopped her opponent from serving out the set at 5-4.
Swiatek then wasted a set point on Kenin's serve at 6-5, but got the upper hand in the ensuing tie-break to take the set. The Pole was back to her dominant self in the second set as she stringed together five games in a row from 2-1 to win the match 7-6 (2), 6-2.
Collins had to deal with a big name in her first round match too, as she was drawn against three-time Major champion Angelique Kerber. The American let go of a 2-0 lead in the opening set as her opponent managed to level the score.
Collins then got back on track as she went on a four-game run to clinch the set. Kerber showed glimpses of her former self as she dug deep to capture the second set.
But the German's resistance crumbled going forward. Collins raised her level yet again as she dropped just one game in the deciding set to score a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory.
Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins head-to-head
Swiatek leads Collins 5-1 in the head-to-head. The World No. 1 won their previous encounter at the 2023 Cincinnati Open in straight sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins prediction
Once the closely contested first set went Swiatek's way, she wasted no time in getting the better of Kenin. She struck 30 winners in all, and committed nine less unforced errors than that.
Collins put an end to Kerber's hopes of a comeback with how she played in the third set. She hammered 46 winners during the match, in contrast to 41 unforced errors.
An aspect where Collins struggled was her second serve, as she managed to win just 29% of points on the back of it. Swiatek will certainly punish the American if she doesn't improve in this regard.
The two faced off thrice last year, with Swiatek dropping just one game each in two of those encounters. Collins pushed the Pole to three sets in the other match, but still came up short.
However, Collins' only win over Swiatek came in the semifinals of the Australian Open a couple of years ago. She feasted on her younger rival's serve and attacked relentlessly with her backhand.
If Collins is able to channel the same form, she could give Swiatek a hard fight, otherwise it's likely to be business as usual for the World No. 1.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
