AO: Danielle Collins is on fire and bringing the chills to Melbourne

Danielle Collins’ rise to the semifinals has many people shocked, but not if you’ve been watching her power to world No. 35 since entering professional tennis last year.

Danielle Collins is the real superstar of the Australian Open. She’s shocked sporting fans with her miracle run at the Australian Open. But we’re not surprised. We knew she was a huge talent on the Tour who’s been dismantling top players since she went professional, most impressively making the Miami semifinals after enduring the qualifying rounds.

Her win from behind in the Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova match 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, fighting back from down a set, demonstrated the massive resolve and brilliant variety the 25 year-old possesses. She’s a thinker on the courts and she believes she can win every match.

She just was never a child prodigy. And she’s a better player because of it.

“I think not being a superstar at a young age certainly humbled me, made me work harder for things,” Collins said after her quarterfinals win, via ESPN. “I was talented and athletic, but maybe not to the level that other players were at, like, 14, 15, 16… Going to college was really crucial for me and my development. I think it’s made me hungrier.”

Instead, the Florida native decided to pursue college, transferring from the University of Florida to the University of Virginia, and winning two NCAA tournaments while there.

It’s not just her powerhouse display at Melbourne that has made people take notice—taking out the second seed Angelique Kerber but also Top 20 players Julia Goerges and Caroline Garcia prior—it’s the fearless way she’s done it.

Danielle Collins is a great example for college tennis.

Next Collins faces Petra Kvitova, another sentimental favorite who is hungry for slam success after coming back from a horrific knife attack in her home a few years back. Kvitova won the most singles WTA titles last year, but has yet to equal that success in the grand slams since winning two Wimbledon titles in 2011 and 2014.

But one of the most popular players on Tour—peers and fans alike—is back in a slam semifinal since that time she went on to win on grass. She has played a glorious game throughout the tournament, and took out hometown favorite Ashleigh Barty on Tuesday in imperious fashion, 6-1, 6-4.

“She’s an amazing human being,” Barty said afterwards, according to Sportingnews. “I think she’s beginning to play her best tennis again.

“We all know what Petra can do. She’s a Grand Slam champion. She’s proved she can beat the best, be very close to the best. But most importantly, I think from all of the girls in the locker room, it’s amazing just to see her back out here. It wasn’t the same when she wasn’t here.”

Even more remarkable? Kvitova plays like that and she doesn’t have 100 percent feeling back in her injured wrist. The journey back for the Czech is not only admirable, but nothing short of miraculous. She spoke with Jim Courier afterwards, fighting back “happy tears” about her return on the tennis stage.

In many ways the captivating semifinal between Kvitova and Collins will feel like the real final. One of them will likely face a dominant Serena Williams, who has been running through her opponents like a freight train.

Oh, and that guy Rafael Nadal won, dashing the hopes of exciting, NextGen sensation Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

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