Paula Badosa has been a steady performer at the Charleston Open for years but will face a very tough challenge this time around.
Danielle Collins just had one of the best moments in her tennis career. She went all the way at the Miami Open, beating Elena Rybakina in the final to win the biggest trophy of her career.
She's actually retiring at the end of this year and just so happens to be playing really amazing tennis. Badosa hasn't played as well lately, but she hasn't played much at all.
She had some solid moments at the Miami Open and hopes to continue her comeback at the Charleston Open, where she has done really well in the past.
Badosa and Collins played only once so far and the American won that match. It happened in San Diego in 2022 but things are a bit different now. Collins is coming into this match playing amazing tennis, but also after a pretty big emotional release.
Badosa, on the other hand, has looked very comfortable in Charleston and should be the hungrier of the two this week. I think she's trending in the right direction, and the quality was never in question. It's mostly about her health, and she's looked healthy lately.
| Paula Badosa | Danielle Collins | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | H2H | 1 |
| 80 | Rank | 53 |
| 26 | Age | 30 |
| 5-6 | 2024 W/L | 20-7 |
| 329-187 | Career W/L | 246-146 |
I'm going to back Badosa to win here, and there is a very simple reason for that. The American is probably the better player right now and is certainly playing better tennis right now, but she just had a huge run in Miami, and I don't think she'll be able to recover well enough for this match, especially given her health struggles.
Players crashing out early after winning a trophy at the next event is a common phenomenon in tennis, and I think we'll see it again.
Prediction: Paual Badosa to win in two sets.