Collins reaches Miami semi-finals in farewell season

Danielle Collins boosted her hopes of winning a title in her farewell season as the unseeded American beat French 23rd seed Caroline Garcia 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the Miami Open semi-finals.

Collins, who announced in January that she would retire from professional tennis at the end of this season, won 89.7 per cent of her first serve points against Garcia, never faced a break point and converted three of her eight break-point chances.

The victory, sealed in a tidy 80 minutes, marked the first time Collins has won five consecutive matches on the WTA Tour since the 2022 Australian Open where she reached her first Grand Slam final.

Up next for the 30-year-old Collins will be either fifth seeded compatriot Jessica Pegula or Russian 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.