A huge month of professional tennis has just wrapped with 1000-level events in Indian Wells and Miami. Before we dive in, here are the final results for March.
March 6-17
WTA 1000 Indian Wells: Iga Swiatek def. Maria Sakkari
March 11-16
WTA 125 Charleston: Elisabetta Cocciaretto def. Diana Shnaider
March 19-31
WTA 1000 Miami: Danielle Collins def. Elena Rybakina
March 25-31
WTA 125 San Luis Potosi: Nadia Podoroska def. Francesca Jones
WTA 125 Antalya: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro def. Irina-Camelia Begu
Collins Conquers Miami
Danielle Collins is making the most of her final year on tour. The 30-year-old recently that 2024 would be her farewell season. In Miami, she dropped just one set en route to capturing the title with the WTA 1000 marking the biggest title of her career.
Playing in her home state of Florida, Collins (UTR rating 12.81) defeated world No. 4 Elena Rybakina (UTR 12.97), 7-5, 6-3, in Saturday’s Miami Open final.
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“To play in my home state, at a tournament I used to watch on TV as a kid—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," Collins said on Tennis Channel. "And 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 today, it just meant the world. 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 just an incredible environment. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
Last month, Collins had to advance through qualifying to play the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi and WTA 1000 in Doha. Now she’s champion at one of the world’s biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams. After starting in Miami with a WTA ranking of No. 53, she is now up to No. 22. On the UTR rankings, she is No. 6.
In the semifinals, Collins defeated No. 14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2. Alexandrova (UTR 12.37) had ousted top seed Iga Swiatek (UTR 13.29) in the fourth round, preventing the world No. 1 and Indian Wells champion from a chance at capturing the Sunshine Double.
Rounding out the final four in Miami was two-time Slam champion Victoria Azarenka (UTR 12.79), with her best result since making the Australian Open semifinals in 2023. She dropped a third-set tiebreaker to Rybakina.
Swiatek Shines in Indian Wells
Two weeks earlier, Indian Wells featured an entirely different slate of semifinalists.
Swiatek won the title without losing a single set, besting Maria Sakkari (UTR 12.68) 6-4, 6-0 in the championship match. The 22-year-old now boasts two Indian Wells trophies. It is also her second title of 2024 and 19th overall.
Her challenger in the semifinals was Marta Kostyuk (UTR 12.47), continuing her strong breakout play in 2024. On this day however, Kostyuk – an Australian Open quarterfinalist and San Diego finalist this year – was no match for Swiatek, falling 6-2, 6-1.
On the other side of the draw, Sakkari and No. 3 Coco Gauff faced off in a thriller for a place in the Indian Wells finals. For Sakkari, who came out on top 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 over the Aussie Open semifinalist, the runner-up result in the Californian desert is her best run since winning the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara in September.
In doubles action, top seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens won the Indian Wells title, besting No. 3-seeded Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova in the championship match.
Miami was claimed by Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who entered the tournament as alternates. They defeated No. 2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in the final.
With Indian Wells and Miami – two of the most important events of the whole year – now complete, the WTA will turn its attention to clay in April with tournaments taking place in Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Colombia, and the U.S.