2022 Australian Open Day 10 Recap: Collins, Swiatek to Meet for Aussie Open Final Spot

The final four in both men’s singles and women’s singles at the 2022 Australian Open is now official, with the last remaining quarterfinal matches played on Wednesday.

On the women’s side, American Danielle Collins continued her run in Melbourne with a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over France’s Alize Cornet.

“It feels incredible. I think especially after some of the health challenges that I’ve had to be able to get back to this level and be able to compete the way that I have been, being able to be as physical as I have been has been so rewarding,” said Collins. “Especially playing against the firls I’ve been playing against the last couple of matches, playing against really good competitors, really great athletes to be able to compete with these women is an honor.”

Last April, Collins underwent emergency surgery to treat endometriosis, a condition that affects about one in 10 women which is extremely painful and can cause tissue to grow in the ovaries and fallopian tubes. The condition caused severe cramping and halted her ability to play tennis at the level she was used to.

“I feel like before [surgery] and before I was on proper medication, I was always having to adjust my training around my cycle because of how painful my periods were,” she said. “And now with things being more consistent, I’m able to kind of train more consistently and not have to have, you know, such drastic changes, especially the week of my cycle. I just feel, as a person, more consistent on a day-to-day basis, because I’m not having such terrible fluctuations and such, you know, painful, really just awful days around those periods.”

Collins is now back into the Australian Open semifinals, a stage she reached back in 2019. She will square off against seventh-seed Iga Swiatek of Poland. Swiatek ended the run of unseeded Estonia Kaia Kanepi by way of a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 victory.

Swiatek is into the second Slam semifinal of her career having won the French Open title in 2020.

“I’m pretty proud of myself, especially after matches like that, because coming back from losing the first set, it’s a new thing for me,” said Swiatek. “Being in the semifinal is great. I’m proud of myself that I can, I’m still able to, find solutions and actually think more on court on what to change because before it wasn’t that clear for me.”

Swiatek credits much of that fortitude to her work with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz, who Swiatek says has helped her control her emotions during matches.

Swiatek and Collins will meet for a place in the Australian Open final. The two have played once before, in Adelaide, Australia in 2021, a 6-2, 3-0 (ret.) victory by Swiatek.

The other women’s singles semifinal will see top-seed Ash Barty play American Madison Keys.