DANIELLE COLLINS STORMS INTO FINAL AFTER DEFEATING IGA SWIATEK

American tennis star Danielle Collins on Thursday stormed into the finals of the ongoing Australia Open.

The No. 27 seed defeated Poland’s Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-final match that lasted for 78 minutes. This was also Swiatek’s first semi-final, where she made her place after defeating Kaia Kanepi to win the second-longest women’s singles match of the fortnight so far, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

American tennis star Danielle Collins.

The 3 hour, 1-minute victory is the longest match of Swiatek’s young career at a Grand Slam to date, bettering a 2 hour, 42-minute 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5 defeat to another Estonian, Anett Kontaveit, in the third round in Australia two years ago.

With this win in the semi-final, Collins has entered her maiden Grand Slam finals. She will now be going against Ashleigh Barty. Barty defeated American tennis player Madison Keys 6-1 6-3 in the semi-final match that lasted for 62 minutes on Thursday. This was Barty’s first semi-final at the Australian Open since 2015 and Barty didn’t give any chance to the American tennis player to have control over the game.

With this win, Barty went on a ten-match winning streak as she outplayed Keys in the semi-final on Thursday. She is bidding to become the first Australian woman to lift the trophy in Melbourne since Chris O’Neil in 1978.