Danielle Collins one win away from re-entering top 10 world rankings after stellar run into Italian Open SF

Danielle Collins is on the cusp of re-entering the top 10 world rankings following her outstanding performance in securing a spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Italian Open. She recently triumphed over Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals to move into the final four.

Collins is having a good 2024 season so far. She has already secured two titles, with her first one coming at the Miami Open, where she defeated Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in the championship match.

The former World No. 7 then continued her winning streak by claiming her second title at the Charleston Open by overcoming Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-1 in the final. Collins also had quarterfinals run at the Qatar Open and the ATX Open.

Recently, at the Italian Open, Danielle Collins defeated Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes to move into the semifinals, where she will face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. With this win, Collins has now won 19 out of her last 20 matches, with this streak beginning in Miami.

Currently ranked World No.15, Collins has the opportunity to climb back into the top 10 world rankings if she can secure a win against Sabalenka in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.

Danielle Collins has a massive head-to-head disadvantage against Italian Open SF opponent Aryna Sabalenka

Danielle Collins at the 2024 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Danielle Collins will next face Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the 2024 Italian Open.

Collins kicked off her campaign in Rome in the second round after being granted a first-round bye. In her first match, she was leading 6-4 in the first set when her opponent, Anna Blinkova, retired from the match due to an ankle injury.

The World No. 15 then went on to defeat Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-3, and Irina-Camelia Begu 6-0, 6-3 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Collins secured her spot in the semifinals by defeating Victoria Azarenka in the last eight

Meanwhile, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka faced off against American qualifier Katie Volynets in her opening match, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. She then went on to defeat Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-2, and Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) in the third and fourth rounds. The World No.2 then defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals to secure her place in the semifinal.

Collins and Sabalenka have met five times on the WTA Tour, with the Belarusian winning all the five match-ups. Their most recent encounter was in the fourth round of the 2024 Madrid Open, where Sabalenka won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.