The ‘Danimal’ has entered the castle of the possible ‘Queen of the Clay’! There can be only two outcomes now: either she steals the show with her ‘fearless’ performance, or the ‘Queen’ wins in her territory once again. Iga Swiatek recently became the first Polish player in the history of the sport to reach the QF of the Olympics. While on the other hand, Danielle Collins is trying to keep the American flag flying high in Paris.

The 30-year-old star has had an amazing season so far, and guess what? She’s now the only American woman left in the singles draw at the Olympics. Can she beat Iga Swiatek on the Parisian clay in the QF clash?

Danielle Collins vs Iga Swiatek: Preview

Collins has already won two titles this season, and apart from her title triumphs, she has also made it to one final, one SF, and two QFs. She defeated Laura Siegemund in the first round, and Caroline Wozniacki in the second. Then, in the third round, she won a hard-fought battle against Columbia’s Camila Osorio. She defeated her by 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, and in that match, she hit only 1 ace but committed 5 double faults. She won 67% of her first serve and 54% of her second serve, but in the breakpoints, she could only manage 7/16.

Swiatek, on the other hand, has won her last 24 matches in a row at Stade Roland Garros. She has now recorded 17 consecutive set wins on Philippe Chatrier. The Polish tennis star has won five titles this season and has reached two SFs before this. She defeated Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round by two sets, followed by two more two-set triumphs against Diane Parry (FRA) and China’s Wang Xiyu. Iga Swiatek hit 1 ace against Xiyu and committed 2 double faults. She won 65% of her first serve, and 54% of her second serve against the Chinese. Swiatek converted 4/6 breakpoints in the third-round match.

Collins vs Swiatek: Head-to-Head

They have met each other seven times in their careers. So far, Iga Swiatek is leading the head-to-head 6-1. Let’s take a look at the results of their previous encounters.

• Iga Swiatek defeated Danielle Collins in their first meeting in Adelaide 2021.
• Collins came back with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over the Polish tennis star in the SF of the 2022 AO.
• The third meeting was in the R16 of the 2023 Qatar Open. Swiatek defeated the American in yet another two-setter.
• Later in the year, they would meet in Montreal. It took three sets this time for the world number one to outclass the ‘Danimal‘.
• Swiatek, yet again, had the last laugh in the same year in Cincinnati when they took on each other in the R32.
• A year later, Danielle Collins was defeated by Iga Swiatek in the R64 of the 2024 AO by 4-6, 6-3, 4-6.
• The second meeting of this year was in Indian Wells. Iga Swiatek defeated Collins comfortably by 6-3, 6-0. What will be the scoreline this time?

Prediction: Swiatek to win in three sets

This match has all the ingredients to go down to the wires! Iga Swiatek has won 22 matches in a row on clay and also managed to clinch her 50th win of the 2024 season. Danielle Collins also has a good win-loss record in the 2024 season. She has so far managed to record 35-12, Can she improve her numbers in Paris? Time will tell!

However, this will be one of the biggest challenges for the American this season. Beating Swiatek on clay is a mammoth task! Both love to play an aggressive brand of tennis. The Polish tennis star can bring a lot of variety into her game as she can generate a high amount of winners but a similar number of unforced errors. Swiatek has a strong backhand and forehand to counter her opponents, but what makes her so successful on clay? Well, her success on clay is purely based on her speed and incredible court coverage. She has the ability to slide on this surface like no one else!

Can she slide into the SF with a win against the ‘fearless’ opponent? Danielle Collins’ powerful serves and strong groundstrokes are what make her one of the toughest opponents on the Tour. The Pole once said that Collins “hits the fastest ball I have ever played in a match.“

Collins can hit a lot of winners from unusual positions, but at the same time, it also brings in a lot of unforced errors in her game. Her strength is her inside-out forehand and strong backhand, along with her incredible kick serves. She has hit 172 aces this season but has committed quite a few double faults (213). The American needs to keep this in check to stand a chance against the ‘Queen of Clay‘. Looking at all these numbers and their previous records, the ‘Queen’ looks slightly ahead of the American on Parisian clay and should be the one to move on.