Even after winning two NCAA singles championships at the University of Virginia, there weren’t many people in the tennis world who thought Danielle Collins would do much, if anything, as a pro.

The sport’s history is littered with college stars who, for myriad reasons, don’t take the next step.

But Collins is bucking the trend – and is now the talk of the tennis world.

Tuesday morning, Collins beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals of the Australian Open.

That victory came on the heels of a stunning 6-0, 6-2 dismantling of No. 2 seed and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber on Saturday.

In a post-match press conference, Collins – now ranked 35th in the world – talked about how her UVA experience has played into her surprising success as a pro.

“I think going to college helped me develop myself as a person,” she said. “I really know who I am, what I want, what I want to do with my life, what I want to do with my tennis.

“I have other interests and passions aside from tennis. I think I’m able to relax a little more than some other people because they might have just been doing tennis their whole lives and haven’t really ventured out much. For each their own, but I’m very happy with my decision [to go to college]. I think it was the best thing for me.”

Collins, who plays sixth-ranked Petra Kvitova Wednesday for a berth in the championship match, spoke at greater length about her UVA experience in an interview with UVA Today in April.

Here are some of the highlights:

Q. You were a media studies major at UVA. Have you given any thought to what you will do after your playing days are over?

A. I definitely want to go into business. I’m not sure specifically what that means. I think that will involve, potentially, getting a law degree, so that I can utilize that in a business career. That’s something I’d really like to do.

But hopefully my tennis career won’t be done for at least another 10 to 15 years! I’ll be the oldest person in law school [laughing].

Q. In a recent interview, you said having a degree from UVA gives you peace of mind as you continue on in your professional career. What did you mean by that?

A. It gives me peace of mind knowing that if I ever have an injury or if I’m just simply not playing very good tennis, I can go out and get a good job. And I can have a lot of opportunities aside from the tennis world if I want to.

A lot of the people on tour don’t have that option because, quite frankly, they didn’t get more than a high school degree. And it’s very hard when you don’t have an education to be able to have different outlets in your life to go to.

So I’m very thankful that I made the right decision by going to college and going to a really good school like UVA. I’ve put myself in a situation where I don’t have to deal with pressure when I step out on the tennis court because I know I have a plan A, a plan B, a plan C. I know I have so many tools in my pocket, and that’s because of my experience at UVA.

Collins won NCAA singles championships in 2014 and 2016 while at UVA. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)

Q. In that same vein, any advice to young players out there who have dreams of getting to where you are? 

A. My biggest piece of advice is you have to sit down and be very realistic. You have to look at what the players make inside the Top 100 and what type of money players are making well outside the Top 100. You have to say, “Is this the type of lifestyle I want to live?” You have to look at the travel schedule that the top pros put themselves through. And you need to talk to people about their experiences.

I think the biggest thing is, even if you only go to college for a year – it’s so crucial. If you go to college for a year and then turn pro and it doesn’t work out, you can always go back to school. But it’s a little bit harder if you don’t go that first year.

Q. Have you kept tabs on the UVA teams?

A. Oh, yeah. I’m a passionate alumna and follow all the different sports. But I’m very proud of how the tennis teams are doing. With coaches like Sara [O’Leary] and Andres [Pedroso], I think it’s an exciting time for the programs and the fans. I think they’re going to do an incredible job with both programs. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.