Caroline Garcia's refusal to change lets Danielle Collins crush her Miami Open dreams

Caroline Garcia has been doing something that no other player dares to do. That is when the opponent serves - no matter if it's a first serve or second - Garcia plays inside the baseline. The idea, presumably, is to put pressure on opponents by getting the ball back quickly. The issue is that against a good-serving opponent, Garcia is hand-cuffed and hits weak returns or returns that are horribly placed.

One might assume that when a match begins to go south, Garcia might change her strategy, but she does not. Almost as if someone has bet Garcia she won't always creep in on serves win or lose. If that bet was made, Garcia won. But ultimately, it costs her matches against seemingly beatable opponents.

On Wednesday at the Miami Open, however, Garcia ran into the buzzsaw that is Danielle Collins. Collins is playing like a 30-year-old who knows she won't be playing much longer. She has implied as much that 2024 will be her final year on the WTA tour. If that is true, she is going out playing in excellent form, at least currently.

Danielle Collins ends Caroline Garcia's run at the Miami Open

Collins was able to feed off of Garcia's returns and mash the ball past her with fantastic crossing angles after Garcia's return stance forced her forward and out of position on many serves. Some players might not be able to take advantage of the situation, but Collins was simply dominant during the quarterfinal match and got 20 winners.

Collins turned in an overpowering performance that would have beaten most players. What helped her on Wednesday was she played against Caroline Garcia who just stubbornly refused to change her approach. This was the case even though Garcia's own coach was pleading with her to back off when Collins served. The score finished 6-3 6-2.

The American now moves into the semifinals and will play either Jessica Pegula or Ekaterina Alexandrova. Collins has not won a tournament since 2021. The way she is playing in Miami, however, she cannot be ruled out against anyone.

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