Undisputed queen of grunt Danielle Collins survived a seesaw battle in her Strasbourg opener, eventually overcoming former Aussie Open champ Sofia Kenin 6-1, 1-6, 6-2.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 250
Internationaux de Strasbourg
Tennis Club de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Round of 16 Matches- 21st May
Danielle Collins 0.79 vs Emma Radacanu 1
Collins was erratic on serve, firing nine aces whilst coughing up eight double-faults. Still, the hard-hitting American came up trumps when necessary. This hasn’t been the greatest season for Collins (who was in dominant form this time last year). She started her clay-court campaign in solid fashion, falling to Jessica Pegula in her Charleston title defence. She then suffered an injury setback and withdrew from both the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Madrid Open. She then picked up one of the biggest scalps of her career, shocking Iga Swiatek in straight sets in Rome. Sure, Swiatek hasn’t been the same indomitable force as usual this season. But Collins still delivered against the Pole, pummeling her into submission from the back of the court. She couldn’t keep up that momentum, falling comfortably to Elina Svitolina in the round of 16. A beaten finalist here last season, Collins clearly understands how to thrive on these surfaces.
Could we be witnessing the rebirth of Emma Radacanu? The 2021 US Open has endured well-documented struggles over the years, battling to live up to the hype amidst drops in form and injury issues. She has also suffered her own unique off-court issues, with a stalker issue rearing its ugly head in Dubai. But she has made some real strides as the year has progressed. She played some strong tennis in Miami, reaching the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career. She is currently enjoying career-best clay-court form, winning three successive tour-level clay-court matches for the first time at the Italian Open. She has decided to prioritize gametime over relaxation this week, competing in Strasbourg to keep sharp ahead of Paris. And she continued that form in her Strasbourg opener, destroying 6th seed- and new Aussie resident- Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3. It was an important win for Radacanu, who had lost all three previous clashes against the Russian. She appears to be moving more comfortably on the clay, and I think her decision to play this week is a smart one.
The Verdict: Collins to win in straight sets at 1.65- I was quite surprised to learn that this will be their first career meeting. This should be a fascinating clash, with Radacanu looking to absorb Collins’ considerable power. Collins isn’t a crafty clay-court operator (ala Daria Kasatkina). She is a monster hitter who will look to put pressure on Radacanu at every moment. That’s why I ultimately think that Collins will get the job done here. She pulverized Swiatek in Rome and Radacanu may struggle to contain her raw power.
