Scorching-hot Danielle Collins stretched her winning streak to 12 matches by dispatching Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the championship match of the Credit One Charleston Open in South Carolina.
Collins had four aces and saved four of five break points while ousting third-seeded Sakkari in just 85 minutes. The 2022 Australian Open runner-up has won 24 of her last 25 sets since losing her first set of the Miami Open against Bernarda Pera before going on to win the 1000-level tournament.
The 12-match winning streak matches Collins’ career best from 2021 when she won back-to-back titles at Palermo (Italy) and San Jose. In Sunday’s title match, she will face fourth-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina, who outlasted top-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (5).
Kasatkina converted 8 of 13 break points to top Pegula in two hours, 47 minutes. Pegula led 6-5 in the third set before Kasatkina won the 12th game to even the match. Kasatkina dug out of a hole in the tiebreak by winning six of the last eight points for the victory.
Kasatkina has won two of the three previous meeting with Collins. However, Collins defeated Kasatkina to win the title at San Jose.
–Field Level Media
