Del Potro downs Raonic in thriller: Danielle shocks Venus to reach semis

MIAMI: Danielle Collins produced the performance of a lifetime and pulled off an almighty shock at the WTA Miami Open on Wednesday, sending Venus Williams crashing out 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.

It was an amazing effort from a 24 year-old qualifier in just her second season as a professional and her debut appearance at Key Biscayne.

This was the first time in two attempts Collins has beaten a top 10 player, and even the crestfallen world number eight Williams would find it impossible to admit Collins didn’t deserve to seal a meeting with French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday for a place in Saturday’s final. Collins was simply delighted with the win over a player she idolized.

The previously unheralded Collins, a Florida native who ended 2017 ranked 167th but came into this tournament as the 93rd best player in the world, is certainly having a March to remember.

As a wildcard she reached the round of 16 in Indian Wells and has gone far better here with a fantastic run to the last four having come through qualifying. That eclipsed the previous best result by a qualifier, when Marion Bartoli made the last eight in 2003.

Collins could be excused for being nervous, yet the media studies graduate from the University of Virginia,who claimed two NCAA collegiate singles titles in three seasons, made a brilliant start , racing into a 3-0 lead and never looked back. Her hitting, especially from the back of the court, was of the highest order and now she takes on Ostapenko full of confidence and ready to reach her first big tournament final. Ostapenko , meanwhile, showed the kind of aggression and heavy hitting which will be needed to keep Collins quiet when they meet in the last four on Thursday.

In a rematch of last year’s round of 16 match at Wimbledon, the French Open champion was too strong for fourth seed Elina Svitolina, running out a deserved 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/5) winner. The 20-year-old hit 42 unforced errors in an effort to blow Svitolina off the court, but offset that with an impressive 44 winners.

Disappointing outings at Shenzhen, the Australian Open, Doha and Indian Wells compounded a difficult start to 2018, although a quarter-final exit at St Petersburg to eventual winner Petra Kvitova was a more positive return. Now Ostapenko is determined to take the opportunity with both hands.

For Svitolina, it was a disappointing result considering she has already won three titles so far this season, but the Ukrainian was quick to admit she deserved everything that came her way. Juan Martin del Potro raised the roof as he came from behind to beat Milos Raonic 5-7, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7/3) and power into a Miami Open semi-final clash with American John Isner.

Roared on by a partisan crowd, del Potro rallied after losing the first set to finally wear down the Canadian in two hours and 53 minutes of relentless drama. There was little difference between these two big hitters, but it was the Argentine who held his nerve when it counted to book a last-four encounter with Isner on Friday.

Del Potro came into the match owning the hottest streak on the ATP tour with 20 match wins this year.The Argentine’s return to form has delighted his fans in Miami, where they packed the main stadium once again to cheer their hero ever closer to winning the “Sunshine Double” of Indian Wells and Miami on the heels of his triumph in Acapulco. Raonic, the big serving Canadian, had other ideas.

The pair met in the Californian desert just three weeks ago with 2009 US Open champion del Potro winning 6-2, 6-3, but 25th-ranked Raonic was on his game from the off. The first set went with serve until del Potro double-faulted on set point to silence the crowd.