Kenin Battles Past Collins in French Open Quarters

Reigning Australian Open champion and No. 4 seed Sofia Kenin was against stretched to three sets in a French Open match on Wednesday, but overcame compatriot Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. 

Taken the distance for a fourth time in five singles matches in Paris, the 21-year-old secured her first victory against Collins in four professional meetings by hitting 38 winners to 25 unforced errors and breaking serve five times in a shade over two hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

"It's not easy playing a fellow American. I obviously want all of us to do well. Obviously, I knew it was going to be one American in the semifinals. I think it's really great for American tennis to have a good quarterfinal match-up," Kenin said after the match. 

"I just knew her game, I knew what I needed to do. I'm just really happy. It's an honor, I mean, to be in the semifinals, and I'm super happy that I won."

From a set and a break down, Collins showed the fighting spirit that took her to a trio of three-set victories in her first four rounds, including over both No. 11 seed Garbiñe Muguruza and No. 30 seed Ons Jabeur, by winning four of the last five games to send the match to a final set. 

It was all Kenin in the decider, however, as she got off to a quick start and never looked back. Collins, meanwhile, appeared affected by a recurring abdominal injury towards the end of the match and received a medical timeout while trailing 4-0. 

"I didn't start off playing the match the way that I would have liked to. I think Sonya was really coming up with some great shots today and playing some of her best tennis," Collins said. 

"Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me. I felt like I was kind of a little bit off with my shots. Sometimes just going for it and just wasn't working for me today. She played well. Obviously there is a physical ailment, but I don't want that to take away from the great tennis that she was playing.

"I think I was kind of praying for a miracle at the end there, but I gave it all that I had. I can walk away saying that I gave it my all."

For a spot in her second Grand Slam final of the season, Kenin will face another major-winner in No. 7 seed Petra Kvitova, who beat Germany's Laura Siegemund in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Kenin is 0-2 against the two-time Wimbledon champion in her career, including a 6-4, 6-1 defeat on the clay courts in Madrid last spring.

"Definitely nerves, that's going to be a major key. I feel like I'm going to try to do the best I can to handle myself. She's really, tall, powerful and she has a big serve, big shots," Kenin assessed. 

"I'm just going to have to figure out a way to balance my game out. Obviously, I'm not going to overpower her since I'm not going to be able to. But I've got different things I can throw in to mix things up. We'll see how it's going to go, but I'm super excited to be in the semifinals and to play her."

A pair of Americans, Nicole Melichar and Desirae Krawczyk, have also advanced to the women's doubles semifinals and will face each other for a spot in the championship match. 

Krawczyk, seeded No. 14 with her partner Alexa Guarachi of Chile, defeated No. 7 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan, 6-0, 6-4, while Melichar partnered with singles semifinalist Iga Swiatek of Poland to beat fellow Americans Asia Muhammad and Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 6-4, in Wednesday's elite eight.