Collins Upsets Swiatek, Dashing Her No. 2 Ranking at Italian Open

Rome, Italy — Danielle Collins pulled off a stunning upset over three-time champion Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Saturday, dealing a blow to Swiatek’s No. 2 ranking.

Collins, the 29th seed, dominated the match with a score of 6-1, 7-5. The American had struggled against Swiatek in the past, winning only one of their previous eight encounters. Collins reflected on her past losses, saying, “After losing to Iga so many times, you obviously learn from those experiences.”

In this match, Collins took control early, finishing with 32 winners compared to Swiatek’s 15. She converted six of eight break points while Swiatek managed only two out of ten. “Having the confidence and trusting myself in those big moments… was key,” Collins stated afterward.

Swiatek, who had won 21 of her last 22 matches at Foro Italico, had dealt with serving issues throughout the match, throwing in two double faults at crucial junctures. Despite holding serve for the first time in the fourth game of the second set, Swiatek could not claw back completely.

This loss means that Swiatek, the defending champion, will drop to No. 4 in the PIF WTA Rankings and comes after a lackluster performance at the Madrid Open. Collins, having faced a challenging year, celebrates her first Top 10 win in over a year.

“It wasn’t to be enough,” Swiatek said of her attempts to rally in the match. Collins will now advance to face No. 16 seed Elina Svitolina in the fourth round.