WTA pro Danielle Collins is known for making bold predictions at tournaments, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek is not her favorite player, as fans point out, despite having won six Grand Slams and countless WTA events. In her latest appearance on the Tennis Channel show, Collins was asked to provide her take on who could face an upset in the first two rounds of the Australian Open.
Hesitating at first, Collins said she feels the Pole could face an early surprise exit from the Grand Slam. Justifying her position, the American said she sees some discomfort in Swiatek’s playing style. Although Poland won the United Cup, the 24-year-old suffered back-to-back defeats, which could be a blow to her morale heading into the Australian Open.
Tennis fans got irate with Collins for predicting Swiatek’s early upset, with many stating that the American should be the last person to make such bold predictions and that she has always had a problem supporting the Pole in tournaments.
“Right, because Danielle Collins has always been so objective in her comments about Iga. Impossible to take “commentary” like this at face value,” commented one fan.
“She’s so obsessed with Iga so much. What a loser,” commented another fan.
“Thankfully, Collins is never right about anything,” commented yet another fan.
Some fans took the humorous approach and resorted to trolling the American in the comment section.
“Do we have to support Collins for all two weeks? Please no,” one fan commented.
“I guess Danimal is qualified to make this prediction. After all, she has plenty of experience losing in the first two rounds of a grand slam,” another fan commented.
“She’ll be riding Iga’s coattails for the rest of her sad life to stay relevant,” yet another fan commented.
Iga Swiatek To Face Challenging Draw in the 2026 Australian Open
It is only the Australian Open title that keeps Swiatek from entering the grand honors of completing a Career Grand Slam. The Pole might potentially have been drawn into a competitive pool, as she could start facing ranked players as early as the third round. She will be facing qualifier Yuan Yue in the first round on Monday.
In the second and third rounds, Swiatek could face Marie Bouzkova and 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya, respectively. From the round of 16 onward, it gets progressively tougher for the two-time semifinalist, as she could face two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka in the pre-quarterfinals and reigning WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Her projected semifinal opponent is No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova, who beat the Pole in the US Open last year. If Swiatek clears all these hurdles, she could face either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff in the summit clash should they cruise through their matches. The Pole would hope to swipe past the consecutive losses suffered in the United Cup and make a dominant run in the Australian Open.
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