Danielle Collins vs. Madison Keys
First question: When will the booing start for Danielle Collins in this one? When his name is announced? The American is currently persona non grata among the locals. As you may have heard, during her second-round match against Australia’s Destanee Aiava, Collins sarcastically thanked the hostile crowd for “paying my bills” and my “big paycheck.” Nick Kyrgios must be jealous of his nerve.
“I loved it,” she said of the crowd’s reaction during that match. “I’ve been doing this my whole life. I like playing in an audience that has energy, whatever side they are on. I’m someone too, that motivates me even more.
Read more: Quote of the day: What if?! Danielle Collins has exchanges with booing Australian Open crowd
That said, the atmosphere may not be quite the same for this one, when she faces a fellow American rather than the favorite of her country of origin. Collins, 31, says she and Keys, 29, “were pen pals when we were 10” and “played so many games against each other.” But only three of them came to the pros. Keys won the most recent two, including a 6-1, 6-2 last spring on clay in Strasbourg.
-Both women love hard courts, especially Australian hard courts. Keys is a two-time semi-finalist in Melbourne and just won the title in Adelaide. Collins has reached the AO final in 2022. Both women have hit as hard as they can, as often as they can. Keys loves to go wild with her forehand, the same way Collins loves to go for a crosscourt backhand. Keys has the best serve and highest potential, but she is also more streaky. Even if she performs well, you never know when her hot streaks will end or resume.
I’ll take Collins, partly because she has her dander, and she’ll have a crowd to fight off. Winner: Collins
