American Danielle Collins beat fourth seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets to win the Miami Open – the first WTA 1,000 title of her career.
Collins, who plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season, beat Kazakhstan’s Rybakina 7-5 6-3.
It marks a third career title for the 30-year-old, and her first since 2021.
“I’ve worked so hard and it’s taken me a little bit longer than a lot of players on tour,” said Collins, playing in her home state of Florida.
Speaking to Sky Sports, she added: “Having a whole stadium on my side was something so special. It’s been hard not to get emotional.”
In beating 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, world number 53 Collins becomes only the second unseeded women’s champion in Miami, after Kim Clijsters in 2005.
In a tight opening set of powerful hitting, Collins clinched the early advantage on her third set point.
After an early trade of breaks in the second set, Rybakina was made to pay for two missed break-point opportunities when Collins took her own chances to go 5-3 up.
Serving for the championship, the American squandered three match points before clinching the title on her fourth with a backhand winner.
The result marks the second successive year Rybakina has lost in the Miami final, having been beaten by Petra Kvitova in 2023.
“Elena really picked it up in the second set. even though the second-set score wasn’t quite as close, I think in the games it definitely was,” said Collins.
The victory will see Collins jump to a world ranking of 22nd on Monday.
Collins this week indicated her decision to step away from tennis was linked to her endometriosis – a condition where cells like those in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body.
She had surgery in 2021 due to the “physical agony” it was causing her.
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