“Was Very Complicated”: Serena Williams Powers Past Against Compatriot and Good Friend Danielle Collins at French Open 2021 3rd Round

The women’s singles draw of the French Open is continuing the trend of upsets this year as many top players like Aryna Sabalenka and Belinda Bencic were eliminated in the earlier rounds. In the bottom-half of the draw, Serena Williams is the only top-10 player present.

The American will have a great chance at Roland Garros this year to claim her 24th Grand Slam title. But, compatriot Danielle Collins will not let go of her opportunity to beat Serena Williams as they meet in the third round on the Parisian clay.

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Let’s see how the match progressed.

Serena Williams overpowered Danielle Collins in straight sets at French Open 2021

Collins made a comeback to tennis after having treatment for endometriosis and had two confident victories. As she faced the legendary Serena, the confidence fumbled as she struggled hard to sail through her service games.

Even though Collins was able to hit her trade-mark winners from the baseline, the intensity of the shots began to weigh down as the match progressed.

On the other hand, Serena looked more and more comfortable playing against Collins. Her first-serves were right on the mark, and she managed to win a lot of longer baseline exchanges. There were no differences in match play between the two in both the sets.

The former world number one managed to win the first set, 6-4.

Serena continued the same aggression in the second as Collins struggled to maintain her form. While she managed to break Serena’s serve a couple of times, she failed to keep her own serve.

Also, Serena’s backhand returns became sharper towards the second set and created a lot of troubles for Danielle Collins. In the end, it was the 23-time Grand Slam champion who served for the match.

Serena Williams won an astonishing 80% of points on her first-serve. This stat gives us a hint or two about her chances moving forward on the Parisian clay. If she is able to win more points with her dominant first-serve, the American will clearly have the upper hand against any other opponent.

With back-to-back errors from Collins, Serena’s task was cut short as she won the set and match.

Talking in her on-court press conference, the American praised Collins for her fighting spirit and lauded her efforts.

“It’s not easy to play a champion like Collins. A former semi-finalist in here. It was very complicated,”  the American said.

At the French Open this year, Serena Williams is looking more relaxed than ever as she is cruising ahead to enter the second week of the tournament.

The American will face Elena Rybakina in the pre-quarters.

Also read: “Shoot My Shot”: Coco Gauff Confident of Playing Doubles With Serena Williams After Pairing With Venus at French Open