From the moment the Australian Open draw was dealt last week, there was little doubt that a wild ride awaited world No 1 Iga Swiatek, after so many difficult opponents were drawn into her section. Of all her potential difficulties, no first-week foe seemed as dangerous as Danielle Collins.
In the face of one of the most destructive ball strikers on the tour though, Swiatek spectacularly managed both her emotions and the moment as she pulled off one of the most brilliant comebacks of her career. After trailing by a double break in the final set, Swiatek roared back to defeat Collins 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
“I was in the airport already,” said Swiatek, laughing. “I wanted to fight till the end. I knew that she played perfectly but it would be hard for anybody to keep that level so I wanted to be ready when more mistakes are gonna come from the other side.
“I just wanted to push then. I did that at the end and I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy. I was proud of myself.”
While Swiatek has long been known for her one-sided scorelines against all opposition when her game is in full flow, learning how to be mentally tough and control her emotions under the suffocating stress of a three set battle has been a gradual learning process. But the 22-year-old Pole continues to improve in all areas and moments like this underline her status as a future all-time great.
Since her emergence on the tour, the one game style that Swiatek has been vulnerable to is that of the most daring shotmakers; those who look to take the ball early, eviscerate her second serve and rush her from the baseline. Few players have exposed those weaknesses as effectively as Collins exactly two years ago when the 30-year-old demolished Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 in their 2022 Australian Open semi-final.
That year, after reaching a maiden slam final, Collins rose to a career high ranking of No 7 but an injury-riddled, inconsistent 2023 season saw her fall down to her current ranking of No 62. While Collins struggled with her form, her shotmaking is eternal.
Although Collins established a quick 3-1 lead in the opening set, Swiatek responded immediately. She served well and counterpunched exceptionally as she reeled off five of the next six games to take the first set. As she immediately broke serve to open the second set, Swiatek seemed to be on the way to victory.
Instead, falling down a set and a break seemed to free Collins and her game began to flow. She launched herself at the ball, taking the first strike whenever possible, eviscerating the Swiatek second serve and rushing her forehand. As the American painted lines and fired winners at will, Swiatek had no answer.
Before the final set began, Swiatek took a bathroom break and emerged with her left knee sporting a thin support. The short break did nothing to halt Collins’ momentum, who continued to eviscerate the ball off both groundstrokes as she established a double break lead at 4-1, moving ever closer to victory.
“I felt like I had the momentum going and then she started playing, suddenly, two times faster,” said Swiatek. “I had kind of no idea how to react to that for a couple of minutes, a couple of games. But I came back and I just thought that the only thing I can focus on is myself.”
Even as defeat loomed, Swiatek remained in full control of her emotions. She suffocated Collins’ second serve with deep, consistent returning and landed more first serves. In the exchanges, Swiatek made life consistently difficult for Collins with her consistent depth. Above all, she simply refused to miss.
Under immense pressure from the best player in the world, Collins folded. From 1-4 down, Swiatek rolled through five games in a row, sealing the victory with a spectacular backhand winner off a drop shot after a long, gruelling exchange.
As she began to digest her escape, Swiatek settled in her chair and placed a towel over her head. For over three hours she had barely betrayed any negative emotion, even as she neared defeat, but here she finally allowed herself to feel.
After she emerged from under her towel with tears in her eyes, she wiped them away, marched off the court and began her preparations for the next challenge to come. Swiatek will face Linda Noskova, an extremely talented Czech teenager, in the third round.