Australian Open Finalist Danielle Collins Encounters Injury Setback as She Was Forced to Retire Mid-Match at WTA Dubai Open

Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, who was playing her first tournament post the success in Melbourne, withdrew from her opening round match against Marketa Vondrousova at the WTA 500 Dubai Open.

Collins initially drew Garbine Muguruza but there was a change in the draw as Anett Kontaveit pulled out of the event at the last minute. As a result, the American was scheduled to play Vondrousova.

Danielle Collins pulls out of her opening round match against Marketa Vondrousova at WTA Dubai Open

In a bid to improve her WTA rankings this year, Collins made a dream start by reaching the finals of the ‘happy slam’, where she was defeated by Ashleigh Barty. Despite the defeat, the American had a lot of positives to take away from the event as she defeated the likes of Iga Swiatek, Elise Mertens, and Alize Cornet to reach the final.

Coming to her match in Dubai, the American made a flying start as she took the first set comfortably. As the second set began, Collins showed signs of weakness and couldn’t exactly play to her strengths. This allowed Vondrousova to break the American’s serve and took a quick lead of 3-0.

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Collins took a medical time-out but it didn’t prove to be entirely successful as she was taken off the court. The American star was clearly struggling from the visuals that emerged as Vondrousova walked alongside her in support.

At the moment, Danielle Collins is yet to reveal what went wrong in Dubai. Injuries are not new to the American as she has been suffering to tackle her health since breaking into the limelight in 2019.

Collins overcame health adversities in the past as well

After making it to her maiden semi-final at the 2019 Australian Open, Collins made steady progress and even reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2020. 2021 was a tough year for the American as she had to skip the first half of the tour owing to endometriosis. But, Collins was determined and committed to the sport that she found a way back and clinched two WTA titles before closing out the season.

Adversities are not new to the American and we can only hope that this setback at Dubai is a minor one and doesn’t for to take a break once again from tennis.

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