Collins triumphs in farewell tour

MIAMI — 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, No. 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 No. 4 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.