MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Maybe it’s because the Miami Open is just a drive across the state from Danielle Collins’ St. Petersburg home and she can have her precious dog, Quincy (Mr. Q), with her. Maybe it’s because she announced she is retiring at the end of this year and she’s playing with more freedom.

Or maybe it’s the tweaking she recently did to her game, small adjustments that keep her body in better control.

Whatever it is, it’s working, as 30-year-old Collins eased into the Miami Open semifinals Wednesday for the second time in her career by beating No. 23 seed Caroline Garcia of France 6-3, 6-2.

She will face the winner of the Wednesday night quarterfinal between fifth seeded American Jessica Pegula or Russian 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Collins, the unseeded American, played a near flawless match against Garcia that she raced through in 80 minutes on the Hard Rock Stadium center court. She did not face a single break point, won 89.7% of her first serve points, had 22 winners and converted three of her eight break-point chances.

It is the first time since she reached the 2022 Australian Open finals that she won five consecutive matches.

“A lot of the sports psychology books when they talk about high-level sports, they talk about being in the zone, almost feeling like you’re hitting beach balls; I think I can feel like that at times,” Collins said. “That’s a good thing. In other times I’ve placed well and had deep runs in tournaments, it’s been like that.

“And then other times, it’s like going out to the golf driving range and having a bad day, missing shots. But right now, I’m timing the ball really well. I’ve made some physical adjustments that’s helped me control my shots more and hit them with more accuracy and precision.”

Garcia, who beat Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff to reach the quarterfinals, had no answers for Collins.

“Obviously, today was not what I wanted, but she was better,” Garcia said. “She was hitting the ball really well, with a lot of power and precision.”

Collins, who won the NCAA championship twice while playing for University of Virginia after transferring from University of Florida, has slipped to No. 63 in the world rankings after a few injury-plagued years. She announced in January that this would be her last year in professional tennis.

She said she has felt relaxed since she arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for the Miami Open. She attributed that to playing more golf, running, doing pilates, and spending time with her dog.

“Quincy is my little dog, he is very adorable,” she said. “He is a sophisticated gentleman. I call him Mr. Q. He has been here with me during the entire event, but he’s at day care right now. He’s a very spoiled gentleman with a very big personality. But he doesn’t come on match days because he’s my Velcro dog and he doesn’t like leaving my side.”

Collins added that she likes to cook “and Quincy gets to partake in some pretty fabulous meals.

Despite being on a roll at this tournament, Collins doesn’t anticipate changing her mind about retirement, even if she has a great year. She explained that she has a chronic inflammatory disease that affects her ability to get pregnant, “that is a deeply personal situation”, and she wants to focus on her personal life.

“At first when I announced my retirement, everyone was congratulating me and so excited for me, but now it feels like I have to justify my decision,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s my personal choice. This is about so much more than just tennis and my career. I’m having a lot of fun. I love coming out here and competing. But this is a really big life decision that should be understandable.”

In the men’s afternoon match, Australian Open winner and No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner of Italy cruised past Tomas Machac of Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. Machac had beaten Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev to reach the quarters, but Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian, was too good. He will face either defending champion Daniil Medvedev or Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the semifinals.

“We practice very hard to be in these positions and I’m really happy that I can play again here in the semifinals in such a special tournament for me,” Sinner said. “My first finals of my career was here and then last year in the finals again, happy to be in the semis.”

Emhoff at Miami Open for President’s Council announcement

United States Tennis Association (USTA) Chairman of the Board and President Dr. Brian Hainline, alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and other guests from the White House were on site at the Miami Open Wednesday to announce a USTA partnership with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN). The PCSFN is a federal advisory committee that aims to promote nutrition and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability. Tennis is also the first racket sport to make this commitment. As part of the agreement, the PCSFN and USTA will work collaboratively to bring national health and nutrition programming to communities where tennis is played.

“I grew up in a classic 70s tennis family in New Jersey, my mom was an excellent amateur player, won a lot of tournaments and got me playing juniors when I was five years old,” Emhoff said. “Tennis taught me so much about how to compete, dig deep and stand up for yourself. There’s nowhere to hide on a tennis court.”

Emhoff and Hainline stressed how tennis can improve physical and mental health, and this partnership aims to make the sport more accessible.

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