Danielle Collins reveals what she did immediately after beating Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open, ‘you don’t get a lot of credit for it’

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Danielle Collins was looking to advance to the fourth round of the Italian Open with a win against a familiar foe.

The American star hadn’t been seen on tour since Collins’ defeat to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the Charleston Open last month.

Returning to action in Rome for the Italian Open, the 31-year-old scored a convincing 6-3, 6-3 win against Elena-Gabriela Ruse in her opening match.

Carrying that momentum forward to her third-round match, she produced one of the biggest wins of her career, as Collins beat Iga Swiatek, 6-1, 7-5.

The world number 35 has now revealed what she did immediately after beating Swiatek in Rome.

Danielle Collins went straight to the gym after beating Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Collins explained how she intends to stay focused ahead of her next match and revealed what she did in the aftermath of her win over Swiatek.

“I think just sticking to your process, doing all of the right things. Sticking to the hard work and the routines,” she said.

“A lot of that stuff doesn’t get filmed, and you don’t get a lot of credit for it, but I’m a hard worker.

“I’m going for my run later, doing my conditioning. I was in the gym right after the match finished, so I’m always looking to get, I’m a little bit of a meathead in the gym, I’m always looking to [improve].”

Collins then reflected on the match itself, where she snapped her six-match losing streak against the five-time Major champion.

“Iga [Swiatek] and I have played so many times at this point, when you have a losing record against someone and you lose a lot of matches that are so close, I feel like you learn something from it,” she said.

“I was able to make the adjustments from past losses, and just execute really well. I feel like my timing was really on.

“I think with the level Iga and these top players play, when I face these opponents, it really brings out some of my best tennis at times, even if unfortunately sometimes those matches haven’t gone my way.

“That’s the interesting thing about tennis: sometimes, some of my best matches have been ones that I’ve lost, which is pretty cool.”

The American went on to praise her new coach, Fanni Varga, whom she considers to be a ‘game changer’.

“My coach, too, has been such a calming presence, and that’s been a huge game changer in helping me on the mental side and just being so encouraging, but also holding me accountable when I need to be,” said Collins.

“It’s been so great working with my new coach. Just loving her calming presence and her energy, it’s fantastic.”

Collins will now look ahead to her fourth-round match, where she’ll take on Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina.

Danielle Collins’ impressive 2025 WTA record

At a brief glance, some may say Collins hasn’t delivered so far in 2025, having failed to reach a tour-level semi-final at any of the five tournaments she’s played.

However, it is the Americans’ defeats that help tell the full story, as Collins has lost the majority of her matches this year to players ranked inside the top ten.

The 31-year-old has lost just one match this year to a player ranked below her, when she fell to Ons Jabeur in her opening match of the year.

It could, however, worry Collins that her fourth-round opponent in Rome has already beaten her in 2025, as Svitolina came out on top in their third-round clash at Indian Wells.

Perhaps Collins will instead choose to look at her overall head-to-head record with the world number 14, which she leads 2-1.

• 2025 Indian Wells 3R – Elina Svitolina beat Danielle Collins, 6-2, 6-4
• 2023 Canadian Open 1R – Danielle Collins beat Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-2
• 2020 Brisbane International 1R – Danielle Collins beat Elina Svitolina, 6-1, 6-1

It remains to be seen who will come out on top when the pair face off for a fourth time, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for.

Collins will take on Svitolina for a place in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Monday, May 12.