Danielle Collins Headlines Large Cavalier Contingent at This Year’s U.S. Open

By Whitelaw Reid, wdr4d@virginia.edu

August 27, 2018

Danielle Collins, a two-time NCAA champion at UVA, enters the U.S. Open as the highest-ranked former Cavalier in the pros ever. (UVA Athletics photo)

Just how far up the pro tennis rankings can former University of Virginia star Danielle Collins climb?

We may be about to find out.

In the first round of the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York on Tuesday, Collins – one of several former ’Hoos making their presence felt in the Big Apple – plays 26^th-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

The 24-year-old, who was a two-time NCAA champion at Virginia, has experienced a meteoric rise since turning pro, entering the Open ranked No. 37 in the world. That’s the highest-ever singles ranking of any former UVA player, male or female, surpassing 2008 alumnus Somdev Devvarman (No. 62 in 2011) and 2001 alumnus Brian Vahaly (No. 64 in 2003).

Collins will have her work cut out against the 20-year-old Sabalenka, who has been playing some of the best tennis of her young career, posting wins over No. 2-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, No. 9-ranked Julia Gorges and No. 14-ranked Madison Keys this summer.

Currently, Collins is the sixth-highest-ranked American player in the world, behind Sloane Stephens, Keys, Venus Williams, Coco Vandeweghe and Serena Williams.

In March, Collins defeated Venus Williams, 6-2, 6-3, at the Miami Open.

But Collins hasn’t been the only former ’Hoo making noise as a pro.

Dom Inglot, who has one of the fastest serves on the tour (he’s known as “Dom the Bomb”) has had a solid doubles career. At the Open, the Englishman and his partner, Franko Skugor, are seeded 16^th. They play Rajeev Ram and Robert Lindstedt in their first-round match on Wednesday.

On Monday afternoon, UVA alum Colin Altamirano – who had won three qualifying matches to advance to the main draw – lost his first-round match to Frenchman Ugo Humbert, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Two other former Cavaliers just missed making the U.S. Open field.

Former Wahoo J.C. Aragone, who made a stunning run through qualifying at last year’s Open to advance to the main draw, came up one win shy of doing it again this year, losing to South African Lloyd Harris on Friday.

Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, the 2017 NCAA champion, lost a tight three-setter to fellow American Mitchell Krueger in his second qualifying match last week.

Altamirano, Aragone and Kwiatkowski were teammates on three NCAA championship teams at Virginia, helping to lead UVA to the 2015, 2016 and 2017 team titles as well as the 2017 ITA National Team Indoor championship.

Aside from the former Virginia players participating in the tournament, UVA will have representation in the stands. Former star Jarmere Jenkins, who has been serving as Serena Williams’ hitting partner, has taken great pride in wearing his UVA gear at Williams’ matches and appears ready to do so again at the Open.