Recent Miami Open champion Danielle Collins is close to joining esteemed company. A victory in the final of the WTA Charleston Open would make her the first American since Serena Williams to win consecutive events above WTA 250 level. She needs to defeat Daria Kasatkina, who is one of the most gritty and determined competitors in tennis. As always, we at LWOT provide our prediction and analysis for the final. But which player do you think will reign supreme in Charleston?
WTA Charleston Final Prediction
Danielle Collins vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 2-1 Collins
The two players have had contrasting routes to the final. Collins has only dropped one set so far in Charleston, extending her winning run to 12 matches. Her semifinal against last year’s Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari was closer than the 6-3 6-3 score suggests, with the Greek having many opportunities in the second set, but Collins played the big points very well.
Kasatkina has had to work harder throughout her matches to reach the final. Three of her four victories have been in deciding sets. The first two of these were against Ashlyn Krueger and Jaqueline Cristian. She then overcame WTA Finals runner-up Jessica Pegula in a brutal and thrilling battle that was decided in a final-set tiebreak.
Is Kasatkina capable of being the one who finally stops Collins? It is not inconceivable. Sakkari got some joy when she got Collins on the run, meaning she could not line up her huge groundstrokes. Kasatkina hits very accurately and consistently, with her forehand in particular capable of generating acute angles. She will need to do that regularly to have a chance of defeating Collins.
However, there are a few reasons why it is still hard to bet against Collins. Firstly, Collins has been devastating on second-serve return in recent weeks and Kasatkina’s serve is the most vulnerable part of her game. Secondly, despite the accuracy of Kasatkina’s shots, it is questionable whether she can generate enough pace to unsettle Collins. The American usually thrives most when she has time on her shots.
Kasatkina also has to try and recover from that long match against Pegula, which included her taking a medical timeout and having some strapping put on her leg. A fighter like Kasatkina can never be fully ruled out, but a second consecutive title for Collins is the most likely outcome at the WTA Charleston Open.
Prediction: Collins in 2
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
