Danielle Collins enjoys low-maintenance week in Charleston, previews Daria Kasatkina final

Danielle Collins keeps winning, scoring a 12th straight victory at the Credit One Charleston Open in style on Saturday, dismissing Maria Sakkari, 6-3, 6-3 to reach a second final in two weeks.

“Another great week of tennis,” she declared to a full-court press at the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “I love coming out here and battling. This is what I live for, this is what I’m doing right now, so, I’ve got to bring the fire.”

Unseeded in Charleston, Collins is projected to return to the Top 20 after a brilliant month of tennis highlighted by her first WTA 1000 victory at the Miami Open. Though the 30-year-old is determined to make 2024 her last season on tour, she is making the most of every match, dropping just two sets in her last 12 matches.

“I definitely feel like, the older I get, the more I look at myself and think, ‘Wow, I’m really similar to my dad in so many ways, the way I get fired up and the attitude and everything.’ I think about that a lot on the court when I go out there and just bring that hot sauce. That’s what I was thinking today: hot sauce, baby!”

Collins brought the spice against rival Sakkari, who herself is in the midst of a spring resurgence after reaching the BNP Paribas Open final in March, but had few answers for the American in the second semifinal of the day, throwing in an ill-timed double fault on match point to send Collins into the championship match.

Standing between Collins and a second straight title is 2017 Charleston champion Daria Kasatkina, who won a third-set tiebreaker to topple Jessica Pegula and prevent an all-American final. Kasatkina leads their head-to-head 2-1, but Collins won their most recent encounter on the hard courts of San Diego back in 2021.

“Dasha’s a warrior,” Collins said. “She goes out there and she’s always battling. She never gives up and it’s hard to beat someone who never gives up. I love the way she plays creatively. I love her tennis mind, and she’s one of my favorite players to watch. She’s honestly one of my favorite players to play against.

“We’ve had so many intense battles and each time coming off the court, it’s really been rewarding, even in tough ones where I’ve lost to her because the tennis was just at such a high level. It’s always a fun match to play against her, and there’s always a really great competitive spirit from both of us. I think we’re just going to have a lot of fun out there battling away.”

Playing in Charleston without a coach, Collins is flanked by boyfriend Bryan, who has become a popular fixture on tour.

“I get so many compliments about Bryan all the time,” she said with a smile. “I feel like everyone in the tennis world is obsessed with him! One of my good friends reached out last night and was like, ‘Hey, does Brian have any cute friends?’ because he’s just such a wonderful person with such a great energy to him. Even though I don’t have a coach here, or a hitting partner, or support staff this week, I feel like I’m getting what I need mentally. So, that’s really nice.”

Collins did dare mentor Jimmy Arias to fly in for Sunday’s final, after the Tennis Channel analyst proved to be a good luck charm in the Miami final against Elena Rybakina.

“If not, I’ll just have to open up a can of whoop ass!” Collins joked.