Collins beats Rybakina to win Miami Open

MIAMI, United States -- American Danielle Collins upset the odds to win the Miami Open title on Saturday, beating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 to claim her first WTA 1000 title in her final season on the tour.

The 30-year-old Collins, number 53 in the world, is the lowest-ranked woman ever to win the tournament, clinching her biggest career title in a two-hour triumph.

Collins announced in January that she will be retiring from the sport at the end of this year and her unexpected run to the final and victory over the world number four delighted the home crowd.

"I couldn't think of a better way to win my first 1000 title. It means the world to me," Collins said.

"The encouragement and support that I got, it was hard to hide the emotion because I think these are the moments that we live for and we don't always get to have them. It was really special," she said.

While she insists that her recent run of form won't lead her to reconsider her departure from the sport, Collins will rise to 22 in Monday's WTA rankings.

It was a disappointing second straight loss in a Miami final for Rybakina, who missed out to Petra Kvitova last year.

Both players looked strong on their serve in the early exchanges but Floridan Collins had to work hardest to hold her serve.

She saved four break points as she hung on for 4-3 and showed resistance again to deny a break point at 5-5 with a brilliant backhand winner after a long rally.

Collins broke at the end of the first set, capitalizing on a third break point to win the set when Rybakina went long.

Then the momentum shifted heavily in Collins's direction when she broke Rybakina's first service game of the second set.

The 24-year-old Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, responded, breaking back at the first opportunity.

Neither player was able to truly dominate, but Collins struck the decisive blow when she broke to go 5-3 up as Rybakina at full stretch on the baseline went long.

The American had not defeated a top five player since a win over then world number two Paula Badosa at San Diego in October of 2022.

Perhaps it was inevitable then that Collins showed nerves at the end as she struggled to serve out, denying two break