In one of the most highly-anticipated first-round matches on the WTA Tour thus far, former world number one and two-time Australian Open champion #VictoriaAzarenka will go up against this year’s Melbourne semifinalist and surprise package #DanielleCollins in the opening round of the #AbiertoMexicanoTelcel. Azarenka, who has been finding her form recently, will come into this encounter as the underdog as the American is currently riding high in confidence and would be looking to claim her maiden WTA title here in Acapulco.
Collins has had an impressive 2019 so far — breaking new grounds in her new-ish career after proving to be one of the rare transitions from American college tennis to the professional tour. The American started the year with an inspired performance against Petra Kvitova in Brisbane although a disappointing first-round exit to Hsieh Su-wei followed in Sydney. (She would have faced Kvitova in the second round had she won)
The Australian Open proved to be the highlight of Collins’ career as of now; stunning 14th seed Julia Goerges in the opening round despite being a huge underdog and on the brink of defeat against the powerful German. Having not won a Major match in her career, Collins won five consecutive to reach her maiden Grand Slam semifinal having thrashed world number two Angelique Kerber with the loss of just two games in the process. However, the American once again became Kvitova’s victim in Australia.
Having skipped the entire Middle East swing like her higher-ranked compatriots Sloane Stephens and Serena Williams, Collins returns to the tour for the first time since her breakthrough run.
Contrastingly, Azarenka has struggled for form throughout the year. She owns a 1-3 win-loss record in 2019 with her lone win coming against Margarita Gasparyan. The Belarusian looked like a shadow of her previous self ever since her return from maternity leave — unable to find her top form once again and it seemed like her Sunshine Double three years ago would never be replicated.
However, you could not entirely blame Azarenka for her poor form. Look at the draws she had received and you would understand why she suffered from all the early losses. In Auckland, she was defeated by Venus Williams in the highest-profile first-round match in that tournament’s history. At the Australian Open, it was a poor performance from the former top-ranked player as she was upset by the crafty Laura Siegemund.
Azarenka received a wildcard into the St. Petersburg Ladies’ Trophy and although she seemed to have regained some of her form, she was handed yet another early exit. The Belarusian battled hard against Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova but fell in straight sets although her first win of the year finally allowed her to return to the top-50 after a lengthy absence.
All these signs point towards a comfortable Collins victory but you can just never count Azarenka out. Time and time she proved herself to be one of the toughest in the game and came out stunning everyone in the tennis world. Just take the Miami Open last year for example — who would have expected Azarenka to defeat five consecutive top-50 opponents to reach the last four?
However, consistency is a huge issue for the Belarusian here. She exited 13 tournaments before the quarterfinals through the past 52 weeks and has failed to claim any top-10 wins outside her Miami run.
Collins has always been going on an upward trend with good wins coming consistently although she had not experienced trying to back up her results and proving her worth. She had to wait for three months after her Miami last-four finish to claim another top-30 win and this time, being at a new career-high ranking of 23, can the American handle the pressure and expectations as a top player?
Azarenka and Collins had met once previously in the quarterfinals of the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. The two-time Major champion was on course to grab the win but was forced to retire while being 7-6, 0-3 up having suffered from a back injury and seemed to be struggling with the tough conditions. This time, can the Belarusian complete the win over the American?
When everything is clicking together for Collins she would be unstoppable but those instances are rarely consistent. Azarenka needs to stay solid at the baseline and prevent herself from being overly defensive which would result in a landslide. Her controlled aggression is of world-class quality, but against new powerful rising stars like Collins, can the Belarusian handle the power for a long period of time?
Collins comes into the match as the favourite and she should be able to get through this encounter safely, but do not be surprised if Azarenka decides to put in her best performance of the year and sneak out the win against the second seed. With extra motivation and focus, the wildcard has a decent chance of triumphing as well.
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