This match promises to be an aural assault, with two of the tour’s biggest grunters locking horns in what is sure to be a thrilling encounter.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 500
Charleston Open
LTP-Daniel Island, South Carolina, USA (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 3rd-4th April
3rd April
Danielle Collins (7) 0.67 vs Jelena Ostapenko (11) 1.16
Defending champion Danielle Collins hasn’t quite been able to replicate the form that saw her change her retirement plans last year. She was on absolute fire this time last year, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back in Miami and Charleston since Serena in 2013. The American has adopted a light schedule this season (this is just her 5th tournament of the year). She created a bit of a stir at the Aussie Open, openly goading the rambunctious Aussie crowd during her victory over home favourite Destanee Aiava. She looked solid in Miami, beating Cirstea and Masarova before a creditable 6-4, 6-4 loss to eventual champ Sabalenka. She just improved to 6-4 for the year with a commanding opening round victory over Robin Montgomery. She served magnificently against Montgomery, firing five aces and winning 80% of her first-serve points.
2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko remains one of the most frustrating figures in the sport. The big-hitting Latvian plays high-octane, all-or-nothing tennis, resulting in some schizophrenic results. She improved to 7-8 for the season after a solid 7-5, 6-2 win over Louisa Chirico. She has suffered six opening round defeats this year, coming into this year’s Charleston Open on a dismal four-match losing streak. However, she produced some amazing tennis in Doha, reaching a 3rd career WTA 1000 final with a runner-up finish at the Qatar Open (she thrashed Swiatek 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals). This crazy yo-yo form is just prime Ostapenko. The Latvian truly announced herself during the 2017 clay-court season, reaching the final of this event before claiming an unexpected French Open crown. She has failed to reach a clay-court singles final since that Roland Garros win. Her relatively flat hitting style is perhaps not ideally suited to success on clay. Having said that, these surfaces are pretty slick and give the Latvian a bit more purchase for her humungous groundstrokes.
The Verdict: Collins to win in straight sets at 1.46- Ostapenko leads the head-to-head 2-1. However, Collins won their most recent meeting at the 2023 San Diego Open. These two play a very similar brand of first-strike tennis, looking to go for winners at the earliest convenience. I think this will be a stop-start affair with very few extended rallies (the unforced errors count will almost certainly surpass the winners count). Collins looked more impressive in her opener and is generally more reliable than the Latvian. Ostapenko is currently rocking a seven-match Charleston winning streak and her greater consistency of shot should prove decisive.
