Various American women have won the Miami Open, with Martina Navratilova being the first to do so in 1985.
Almost 40 years later, Danielle Collins lifted the Miami Open trophy for the first time.
The American, who also made the final of the 2022 Australian Open, defeated Elena Rybakina in the 2024 Miami Open final.
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By doing so, Collins secured her only WTA 1000 title to date.
The former French Open quarter-finalist also made tennis history by securing the 2024 title in Florida.
Danielle Collins is the lowest-ranked woman to have won the Miami Open
Unseeded heading into the 2024 Miami Open, Danielle Collins was a clear outsider for the title.
Collins began the event by defeating lucky loser Bernada Pera, before knocking out 30th seed Anastasia Potapova.
Victories over Elina Avanesyan and Sorana Cirstea followed, before a quarter-final victory over former WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia.
The American then knocked out Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2, before defeating two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina in the final, 7-5, 6-3.
By defeating Rybakina, the then-world number 53 became the lowest-ranked women’s singles champion in Miami Open history.
After the final, Collins expressed her delight at securing her first WTA 1000 title.
She told reporters: “Yeah, I mean, what a dream come true to have played at the level that I have played consistently over the last two weeks. This has been such a journey for me.
“30 years old, you know, this was the finals of my first 1000, and it’s been a different journey than I think a lot of the stories that we’re familiar with.
“Yeah, it’s just been amazing to go out today and to have felt the energy that I felt from the fans and literally feel like I’m playing in front of thousands of my best friends, that was just surreal. I will never forget this day because of that.
“Everywhere I looked, people were, like, Let’s go, Danielle. You can do this.
“The encouragement I got, it was hard for me to hide the emotion. I think these are the moments that we live for and don’t always get to have them. It was just really special.”
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Is Danielle Collins still playing on the WTA Tour?
Collins had planned to retire at the end of 2024, but later postponed her retirement due to issues concerning fertility and endometriosis.
The American has since made her first steps into tennis media, becoming a prominent analyst for the Tennis Channel.
The former world number seven, who assisted with the Tennis Channel’s Australian Open coverage, is set to rejoin the Tennis Channel punditry team for the Miami Open.
Collins, 32, is yet to confirm a date for her return to the professional circuit.
