Danielle Collins has just produced a huge shock at the Italian Open, knocking out defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek was the second seed at the Italian Open, but fell in the third round of the tournament to 29th seed Collins.
The American beat the Pole 6-1, 7-5, with Collins inspired by Elena Dementieva for her victory over world number two Swiatek.
Collins went straight to the gym after beating Swiatek, who had eased past Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in round two.
Elena-Gabriela Ruse was Collins’s opening victim, with the WTA number 35 now taking on Elina Svitolina in the round of 16.
Danielle Collins makes career history after Italian Open win over Iga Swiatek
Svitolina is the 16th seed at the WTA 1000 event, but Collins should be full of confidence for that clash given she has just made career history.
As per OptaAce on X, she has beaten a top five ranked opponent on clay for the very first time in her career.
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The superb success over five-time Grand Slam Swiatek comes after Collins lost all of her previous six such matches.
Danielle Collins breaks 40-year Italian Open record against Iga Swiatek
At 31, Collins is a four-time WTA singles champion, and once reached number seven in the world rankings.
She has been steadily declining those rankings in recent times, but looks to have found her feet at the Italian Open.
In Rome, she has also become the oldest player to defeat a top two ranked player in the last 40 years, as per OptaAce.
Collins now takes on Svitolina with revenge on her mind, with the Ukrainian having beaten the American at Indian Wells.
But that victory in March was Svitolina’s first success in three attempts against Collins, with the latter boasting a 2-1 record in their WTA head-to-head.
Against Swiatek meanwhile, she needed one hour and 44 minutes to secure a spot in the last 16 in the Italian capital.
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