“It is one of the highest honors you can receive as an athlete, playing for your country. I love being on a team, and it has always been a goal of mine to be an Olympian..,” Danielle Collins reflected on her maiden appearance at the Olympics. ‘Danimal‘ has landed on her hunting ground and she’s now ready to experience her “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity“! Standing first in the line of her target zone this time is Germany’s Laura Siegemund. This will be Collins’ maiden appearance at this mega event. Will Siegemund be a major obstacle in her journey in Paris?

Danielle Collins vs Laura Siegemund: Preview

Collins has played some exceptional brand of tennis in the 2024 season. She has already won two titles this season and apart from that, she has featured in one final, one SF and two QFs. That itself shows her consistency in what supposedly is going to be the last season of her playing career. Collins was last seen in action at the French Open. However, she doesn’t have a fond memory of her last visit to this iconic venue. Serbia’s Olga Danilovic defeated her in the second round of the French Open by 7-6(3),5-7,4-6.

In that match, she hit 3 aces and committed an equal number of double faults. Her first serve win percentage was 64% but on the second serve, it dropped to 61%. However, in the breakpoints, she managed to record 6/9. Collins has fired 172 aces and committed almost 213 double faults so far this season. She has won 73.7% of her service games and 40.3% of her return games.

Whereas Siegemund’s best performances this season have been reaching the QFs thrice in her previous tournaments. She is entering this match after her defeat to America’s Lauren Davis in the qualifiers of the Eastbourne International. The 36-year-old German tennis star failed to hit even a single ace in that match but did commit one double fault against Davis. She won 50% of her first serve and 52% of her second serve, but in the breakpoints, she could only manage 3/7.

Even her overall numbers from this season aren’t too impressive! She has hit only 14 aces so far this season and has committed 62 double faults. Siegemund has won 56.6% of her service games and 43% of her return games.

Collins vs Siegemund: Head-to-Head

Well, these two WTA stars come up with a vast experience in their playing careers. However, they haven’t faced each other much in their careers before. Their only meeting came in February this year, at the qualifiers of the Qatar Open. In that match, Collins beat Siegemund by 6-4,6-4. Are we going to see a repetition of the same dominance in Paris this time?

Prediction: Collins to win in straight sets

Earlier this year, Siegemund won the United Cup with her fellow German teammates. She’ll be keen to witness a similar fate for her nation at the Games. However, beating Collins is almost equal to a mammoth task this year. The American has a win-loss record of 35-12 this season, compared to Siegemund’s 12-11. Even in the rankings, Collins (9) is way ahead of the German tennis star (64).

Collins’ highly aggressive playing style versus Laura Siegemund’s unconventional style of play is going to be a popcorn match, without a doubt! Collins will try to bring in her powerful serves and venomous groundstrokes to break her opponent. However, she needs to keep a check on her high percentage of unforced errors. Whereas Siegemund needs to watch out for Collins’ incredible kick serves and inside-out forehands.

Now, if we talk about the weapons of the German tennis star, her combination of slices, drop shots and incredible net play can be really tricky at times for even the top opponents. On that note, let me remind you that Siegemund’s nine out of ten wins against the Top 10 opponents have come on clay. She has also reached the QF in the Rio Olympics but she made an early exit in Tokyo! Are these enough to keep her ahead of ‘Danimal‘? Well, a big no!