San Diego Open: Danielle Collins defeats Caroline Garcia in the first match since US Open

It was the first match for Danielle Collins since her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the fourth round of the US Open on September 5. The unseeded Australian open finalist Danielle Collins marked her return by defeating No. 7 seed Caroline Garcia 6-2, 7-6(7-4) after precisely one hour and 30 minutes of play. 

The 28-year-old American controlled the pace of the match with consistent high-energy rallies despite hitting 14 winners to 18 by Caroline Garcia. She placed her French opponent on the back foot with her heavy groundstrokes and secured her victory with a quick forehand drop shot.

Danielle Collins served five aces, won 80% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of Caroline Garcia five times from eight opportunities. In contrast, the 28-year-old Frenchwoman served six aces, won 61% of the points on the first serve and committed five double faults.

After the victory, Danielle Collins said, "Caro has been playing incredible this year, a lot of great achievements especially over the summer and a lot of matches under her belt playing big tennis. I knew that going in, and I just had to go out and beat her to the punch as much as possible."

Danielle Collins will lock horns with French Open semifinalist Martina Trevisan in the second round of the San Diego Open on October 13.

Bianca Andreescu advances to the second round in San Diego

Former World No. 4 Bianca Andreescu advanced to the second round of the San Diego Open after securing a 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-2 victory over Liudmila Samsonova on October 11.

It was the first match for Bianca Andreescu since her third-round exit at the US Open, following which she decided to take a break from overseas events to focus on her well-being.

She initially took a wild card entry but was boosted to the main draw due to withdrawals.

After the victory, Bianca Andreescu said, "The match was very tight. It could have gone either way, I felt towards the end I felt I was putting a little bit more pressure than she was. I was a little bit more consistent."