Danielle Collins scolded a tennis fan for what she perceived as a lack of respect in her comeback victory over Jaqueline Cristian at the Madrid Open.
Collins did not have everything going her way in a tricky third-round match against the in-form Cristian. The Romanian had been in good form of late, beating the American trio of Sachia Vickery, Madison Keys, and Emma Navarro in her run to the last eight in Charleston at the start of April.
Cristian had also scaled the qualifying hurdle in Madrid and notched a comprehensive win over 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova to reach the third round stage.
But Collins was in terrific form, too. She has been playing the best tennis of her career, winning titles in Miami and Charleston to boot. A competitive first set featured just one break of serve, which went Cristian’s way.
The World No. 73 broke to love to take a 4-2 lead and did not relinquish that advantage as she coolly wrapped up the set after 32 minutes. But before Collins embarked on protecting her 14-match undefeated streak, she had to deal with a rather indisciplined fan.
Now, it was unclear what the fan uttered to Collins to evoke the fiery side of the American. However, from the 13th seed’s reaction, she was far from pleased with the fans’ behavior and demanded that they show some respect.
“You come out and you play. Come out here and do what I do, okay? Have a little more respect.”
Tennis fans can be quite rowdy and ill-disciplined during live matches. Some heckle tennis players, with Novak Djokovic being a main target during a match at this year’s Australian Open.
Collins did not let the moment get to her. She completed a comeback win over the qualifier to win her 15th match in a row. In a mouthwatering fourth-round clash, she will face second seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
