Danielle Collins annoyed after ‘wildly inappropriate’ incident during her match with Emma Raducanu in Strasbourg

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Danielle Collins was looking to advance to her second quarterfinal of the season with a win over Emma Raducanu in Strasbourg.

The American star scored the biggest win of her season last time out, when Collins beat Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Italian Open, 6-1, 7-5.

She then lost her fourth-round match in straight sets to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, before heading over to Strasbourg for the pre-French Open warm-up event.

Winning her opener against fellow American Sofia Kenin, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2, Collins set up an intriguing second-round clash with Raducanu.

Battling back from a set down, Collins beat Raducanu to seal her spot in the Strasbourg quarterfinals.

As entertaining as the match was, their second-round encounter may be best remembered for an ‘inappropriate’ incident, which Collins called out during a changeover.

Danielle Collins calls out the cameraman for ‘wildly inappropriate’ behavior during a changeover

When the 31-year-old went to fill up her water bottle during a changeover, she became frustrated with how close the cameraman was to both her and Raducanu.

“I need to get water, we’re on a changeover,” she said.

“You don’t need to be that close to me, and you don’t need to be on top of Emma [Raducanu]. It’s like wildly inappropriate.

“It’s not that difficult to give space.”

Collins then shook her head and could be heard apologizing to Raducanu, presumably for the cameraman’s behavior.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Putting the incident to the back of her mind, Collins went on to secure victory, winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

After the match, the world number 46 updated fans on her fitness levels ahead of the quarterfinals.

“Physically pretty good. I had a day off yesterday, so I feel like it’s nice,” said Collins.

“I was thinking, after I lost the first set, this is great, I will end up getting a longer time on court, which is sometimes needed, and it was good to be challenged in that way. I was happy to stay out here a little longer.

“I am feeling good, so that’s a good sign. I’m 31 now. Everyone told me after 30 it’s all downhill, and I feel like that on a few days, but other days I don’t agree.”

Collins will return to the court to take on Anna Kalinskaya in the Strasbourg quarterfinals on Thursday, May 22.

How well did Danielle Collins perform in Strasbourg last year?

On her last visit to the north of France, Collins reached the final, securing several impressive victories along the way.

• 2024 Strasbourg SF – Danielle Collins beat Anhelina Kalinina, 7-6, 6-2
• 2024 Strasbourg QF – Danielle Collins beat Clara Buel, 6-1, 6-3
• 2024 Strasbourg 2R – Danielle Collins beat Katerina Siniakova, 6-1, 6-2

In the final, she came face to face with her countrywoman Madison Keys, who hadn’t won a clay court title in five years.

Ending the drought, Keys showed her class, dropping just three games in the final, as she eased past Collins, 6-1, 6-2.

Despite coming up short against Keys, Collins did earn herself 325 points in Strasbourg last year, leaving her a lot to defend in 2025.

With those points dropped, Collins currently resides outside of the WTA top 50 in the live rankings, something she’d no doubt love to remedy with another deep run in 2025.

She may well be confident of doing so, facing off against an opponent she’s beaten twice before in the quarterfinals.

Collins leads their WTA head-to-head 2-0, having beaten Kalinskaya most recently at the ATX Open in 2023.

• 2023 ATX Open QF – Danielle Collins beat Anna Kalinskaya, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
• 2023 Australian Open 1R – Danielle Collins beat Anna Kalinskaya, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4

Only time will tell who will come out on top in their third career meeting, when both players look to make their way through to the Strasbourg semi-finals.