This year’s Miami Open champion Danielle Collins beat Paula Badosa 6-1 6-4 to reach the Round of 16 at the Credit One Charleston Open.
Collins converted on five of her six break points she earned during the match. The US player earned her first break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. She broke for the second time with a backhand winner down the line in the fourth game to race out to a 4-0 lead. Badosa pulled one break back on her third opportunity. Collins broke for the third time in the sixth game and served out the first set with a hold at love.
Collins broke twice in the first and third game to open up a 3-0 lead. Badosa earned a break point at 3-4 in the second set, but Collins saved it with a backhand winner into the open court. A linesperson fainted when Badosa was serving at 3-5. The medical staff was called and the linesperson was removed on a stretcher. The match resumed after a delay. Collins served out the win with an unreturnable serve in the 10th game.
Collins set up a match against two-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.
Collins has improved her win-loss record to 17-7 this year moving into a tie with Jelena Ostapenko.
“The transition from hard court to clay is not easy. On Sunday, I did the five-hour drive back to my hometown, got to sleep in my own bed. I flew in here on Monday. Just getting the clay under my feet, I wasn’t going to miss this tournament, my last season”, said Collins.
Former Charleston champion and 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens cruised past Magdalena Frech 6-0 6-2 with three breaks in each set to set up a Round of 16 match against Leylah Fernandez, who won all three of their previous matches at Monterrey 2020, Lexington 2020 and at the Grampians Trophy 2021.
Stephens dropped just 12 points and dropped her serve only once at the start of the second set.
Stephens has extended her head-to-head lead over Frech to 3-0. The 31-year-old US player had won her previous two matches against her Polish opponent at the French Open (6-2 6-2) and in Parma (3-6 6-3 6-4).
Maria Sakkari beat Viktoriya Tomova 6-3 6-3. The Greek player reached the final in Indian Wells and the quarter final in Miami. Tomova broke in the third game to take a 3-1 lead. Sakkari won five consecutive games with two breaks of serve to seal the first set 6-3. Sakkari broke twice in the seventh and ninth games to seal the second set 6-3.
Taylor Townsend beat 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-3. Townsend went up a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game. Kenin broke straight back in the fifth game. Townsend broke for the second time in the sixth game and served out the first set at 15 in the ninth game. Townsend broke serve in the first and ninth games to seal the second set 6-3.
Kenin had won three of their four head-to-head matches against Townsend.
However, Townsend set up a Round of 16 match against last week’s Miami semifinalist Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alexandrova leads 2-0 in her head-to-head matches against Townsend.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto battled past Ana Bogdan 6-1 2-6 7-6. Bogdan broke serve in the fourth game and held serve at love to take a 4-1 lead. Cocciaretto saved two set points on serve in the eighth game, but Bogdan converted her third break point to seal the first set 6-2. Cocciaretto broke three times to win the second set 6-1.
Bogdan started the third set with an early break in the first game of the third set. Cocciaretto broke back in the seventh game for 3-4. Bogdan broke for the second time at love in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Cocciaretto pulled back on serve for the second time to draw level to 5-5. Cocciaretto went up a 3-0 lead in the tie-break with two mini-breaks. Bogdan won five consecutive points to take a 5-3. Cocciaretto came back by three consecutive points to earn a match point at 6-5. The Italian player sealed the win on her third match point with a forehand crosscourt pass after 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Cocciaretto set up a second round match against Victoria Azarenka.
