MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Danielle Collins has never taken a traditional approach to her tennis career, choosing to play in college before turning pro; and the 53rd-ranked American continued to do things her way this week becoming the lowest ranked woman ever to win the Miami Open with a 7-5, 6-3 upset of fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The 30-year-old St. Petersburg, Fla., native, who plans to retire at the end of this season, revealed that a big reason she seemed so relaxed as she rolled through the Miami Open draw is that she had her dog Mr. Q with her, and she played golf on her off days during the tournament.

Her relaxation tactic worked, and the fans at Hard Rock Stadium, some waving American flags, erupted when Collins clinched the title with a backhand crosscourt winner on the fourth championship point. She dropped her racket to the court, bent over, and buried her face in her hands, taking in the moment as legend Andre Agassi watched with the rest of the crowd.

“I’ve played in quite a few finals, but nothing close to this, to play in my home state, the tournament I used to watch on TV as a kid,” Collins said before accepting her trophy and $1.1 million winner’s check. “My Dad said, 'If you’re not playing in the tournament, you’re not going’, so I had to work really hard to get here.

“To come out here and feel like I’m playing in front of thousands of my best friends, and everybody that was pushing me to get over this hurdle (Saturday). I was getting very emotional and I had to keep telling myself, 'Leave those emotions in the locker room and wait until after the match.’ It was an incredible environment. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Collins is the sixth American women’s champion in Miami, joining Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Venus Williams (three titles), Serena Williams (eight titles), and Sloane Stephens. The only lower-ranked player to reach a final here was Noami Osaka, who was ranked No. 77 when she made the 2022 final.

Collins, whose ranking will soar to No. 22 with the win, said before the match that playing golf helped distract her from the pressures of the tour.

“When I’m in other tournaments like in California or Australia, I do like to surf and get out there, but not every place we go offers surfing, so golf has kind of filled that void,” Collins said. “It’s been fun learning something new. I’m someone that needs a lot of mental stimulation. By learning new things, I feel like it keeps my brain sharp, keeps me thinking about different things, keeps me from focusing on tennis too much.”

She explained that as a kid she went to a camp that offered tennis in the morning and golf in the afternoons, and she asked her father to have the coaches dismiss her from golf so she could focus on tennis, which was her better sport.

“Now I’m regretting that a little bit as an adult because I’m having a harder time picking it up,” she said. “But it’s been a really great outlet on my off days, to have something to look forward to. It also makes tennis more fun, because I’m so bad at golf that when I come out and play tennis, compared to my golf game, I’m a lot better, so it makes me feel better. So, that could be helping my confidence.”

She added that age and experience have also mellowed her.

“I think as you get older, you’re not so hyper-focused and you take interest in other things, too,” said Collins, who has said she wants to start a family. “I went to college, and I have always had other things I’ve been interested in and hobbies.”

Unlike so many talented teenage tennis players who get home schooled at a young age and then turn pro as teenagers, Collins opted to play college tennis at the University of Florida and University of Virginia for four years before turning pro. She won a pair of singles titles with the Cavaliers in 2014 and 2016 and then joined the tour.

Of the women who have taken the college route in recent years, Collins has had the most success, winning titles at 2021 Palermo, 2021 San Jose and reaching the final at the 2022 Australian Open and the Miami Open on Saturday.

Rybakina, the 24-year-old Russian-born Kazakhstani, was playing in the Miami Open final for the second year in a row. She had won the last three meetings against Collins, all in three-set matches that lasted more than two hours.

Collins entered Saturday’s final with fresher legs than Rybakina, having spent eight hours and three minutes on the court in six matches while Rybakina spent 11 hours and 36 minutes in five matches as four of her matches went three sets.

“I didn’t expect to be in the final, to be honest, but it was a great two weeks of tough matches, great battles,” Rybankina said. “Thanks to the fans for the support throughout this two weeks. It was really amazing, and of course, I want to congratulate Danielle for great two weeks, great matches you played here. I’m looking forward to coming back.”

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