Roland Garros Day 11 Preview & Pick: Sofia Kenin vs. Danielle Collins

When the tournament began, we made the unforgivable mistake of underestimating Sofia Kenin. Her double bagel loss to Azarenka in Rome, combined with Fiona Ferro’s tremendous clay-court form and home-crowd support made it seem like an upset was in the making.

It was, for a moment, when Ferro reeled off six consecutive games to take the first set 6-2, but then Kenin flipped her Grand Slam champion switch, and dominated the Frenchwoman, 6-2, 6-1, in the final sets. It was one of the most impressive turnarounds you will ever see, with Kenin winning 60 of the last 90 points.

On Wednesday, the 2020 Australian Open champion will look to advance to her first Roland Garros semifinal, but first she’ll have to do something she’s never done before—win a set against Danielle Collins. The two Americans have played three times before, twice in 2017 on the ITF circuit, and once earlier this year in the Adelaide second round. Kenin has yet to win more than seven total games in any of their prior meetings.

Collins has struggled since her Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis last year, but thanks to a change in her diet—no dairy, no gluten, but mostly plant based foods—she’s feeling better than ever.

"This has been the healthiest that I've been the last four, five months, and I think a lot of it has to do with the diet,” Collins said on the TENNIS.com Podcast.

The two-time NCAA champion followed up her massive upset over Garbine Muguruza with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, victory over Ons Jabeur on Tuesday.

Due to rain and scheduling conflicts, Collins will be short on rest, but that shouldn’t change her game plan much. Just like in Adelaide, she will try and hit Kenin clean off the court.

The last time they played, Collins was pretty much perfect. She won 59 points compared to Kenin’s 37, and mercilessly attacked Kenin’s second serve, winning 69% of her second serve return points. This time around, Kenin will need to direct her forehand sharp and crosscourt, to avoid Collin's dangerous backhand.

There is nothing to suggest a Kenin victory is imminent if you look at the tape and their previous match stats. Collins appears to have the 21-year-old's number, but Kenin is one of the sport’s most vicious competitors, and will likely find a way to win on Wednesday.

The Pick: Sofia Kenin