Australian Open Finalist to Play ATX Open

Danielle Collins, the runner-up at this year’s Australian Open, is the first player to commit to play the 2023 ATX Open which will be held Feb. 27-March 5 in Austin.

The announcement came as DropShot Series Founder Bryan Sheffield and Tournament Director Christo Van Rensburg revealed plans for the WTA 250 during a launch event at Westwood Country Club on April 11.

“After spending a great weekend here in Austin with Christo and Bryan and everybody who is a part of the event, I have decided that I’m going to come back and play here next year,” said Collins. “There’s been a handful of tournaments in Texas before, but I think to have one at this level, right in the heart of Austin at this amazing club with such a strong community behind it, I really feel strongly that this is going to be a great event.”

Collins claimed the first two titles of her career in 2021, winning in Palermo and San Jose in back-to-back weeks. In January of this year, Collins fell to World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the Australian Open final after recording six straight wins, including a victory over No. 7 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

In March, Collins reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, a run that pushed her into the Top 10 for the first time.

A 28-year-old Florida native, Collins played at the University of Florida before transferring to the University of Virginia where she won a pair of NCAA singles titles.