The Canadian Open is off to a great start this week, with players going all out. It is, after all, one of the tournaments that lead up to the last Grand Slam of the year- the US Open. Things are heating up, and not just with the racket as tempers flared during Maria Sakkari’s latest match against Danielle Collins.
Collins won the first set 6-4 and was leading 2-1 in the second when drama unfolded on the court. The two players clashed on the court, in an incident that highlighted foolhardiness.
Sakkari‘s first serve was a fault, which Danielle promptly returned. However, the Greek player struck the ball into the ground which then bounced into the stands.
Tense moment at WTA 1000 Montreal tonight between Sakkari and Collins.
I agree with Collins here–the officials need to be way stricter on players recklessly smacking the ball and throwing racquets into the stands.
Should be no looking the other way when that happens. pic.twitter.com/fpsA6MSnm2
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 10, 2023
The ball did not hit anyone in the crowd and Sakkari even raised her hand in an apology. However, Collins was in no mood to let her off so easily and asked the umpire if she witnessed it.
Maria responded to Collins by saying that the ball did not hit anyone. “It didn’t even hit anyone. It was on the ground,” said Sakkari. Collins, in turn, told Sakkari, “Shut your mouth.”
Fans are divided on this incident. Some agree that players should be held accountable for their actions, but it does not mean you can tell your opponent to shut their mouth.
The officials need to be stricter on such occasions, absolutely. Players often get away with this without even a stern warning.
But it’s also not cool to say “shut your mouth” to your opponent like that.— Aayush Majumdar (@AayushM) August 10, 2023
In the end, Danielle had the last laugh as she defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2 in straight sets. Collins will take on Leylah Fernandez in the next round.
Danielle Collins vs Leylah Fernandez: match preview
Leylah will take on the aggressive Danielle Collins in the next round. This is Leylah’s first home tournament and she will have the crowd’s full support in her match against Collins.
The young Canadian player defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia in one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. Fernandez held her own against the Brazilian as the match went on for almost three hours. She eventually got the better of Maia, defeating her 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Magnifique ✨
🇨🇦 @leylahfernandez outlasts the No.11 seed Haddad Maia in a thrilling three-set match!#NBO23 pic.twitter.com/dgXExoATqR
— wta (@WTA) August 10, 2023
Danielle Collins did not have a great year. Out of the 23 matches she played, 13 ended in defeats. However, she has had a good run so far at the Canadian Open.
She defeated Elina Svitolina in the first round and then took on Maria Sakkari in the next. Collins will want to keep up this winning momentum against the young Canadian.