Elina Svitolina’s Australian Open resurgence, culminating in a quarterfinal appearance for the first time since 2019, seemed like a distant memory just months later. That dream run, described by Svitolina as feeling ‘like a lifetime ago,’ was abruptly halted, leading to early exits in her subsequent three tournaments. Now, with a fresh start at Indian Wells, she faces a formidable challenge in Danielle Collins. Can Svitolina rediscover her form and overcome ‘Danimal’ on her home turf?

Danielle Collins vs Elina Svitolina: Preview

Before this tournament, she was last seen in action at the AO, where she only managed to reach the third round this time. However, Collins will be entering this match against Svitolina following her hard-fought victory against her compatriot, Hailey Baptiste. She defeated the 23-year-old by 5-7,6-2,6-4 in her previous match.

Even Elina Svitolina had to face a tough challenge in her previous match. She will be entering this contest following her 6-1,6(8)-7,6-3 win over America’s Ashlyn Krueger in the R64.

Collins vs Svitolina: Head-to-Head

These two vastly experienced campaigners have met each other twice in their careers so far. Currently, Danielle Collins has a 2-0 lead over the Ukrainian star, Elina Svitolina.

• 2023 Montreal R64: Collins 6-2,6-2.
• 2020 Brisbane R32: Collins 6-1,6-1.

Prediction: Collins will win this match in three sets

Although Danielle Collins has struggled a bit with her form this season, I feel it won’t be easy for Elina Svitolina to outclass the American in this tournament. Collins will be cheered by a lot of home supporters, and this could make this contest more tricky. Can Svitolina handle this pressure?

Well, she is a former world number 3, hence, she surely knows a way or two to handle the pressure in these crucial matches, but then…If we take a look at the results of their previous encounters, even there, Collins has a clear-cut edge.

Now, talking about numbers, well, although Collins (14) is currently placed above Svitolina (23), the American has a win-loss record of just 3-2 in 2025. However, the Ukrainian has a win-loss record of 7-4 this season. Considering all these factors, I feel there is a higher chance of this match going a little deeper than just two sets this time. But the third set?

Shifting our focus to their playing styles, Svitolina is a defensive baseliner, and she excels at swiftly transitioning defense into offense. She can hit low-risk winners, and Elina Svitolina also has powerful groundstrokes in her armory. Her deep, penetrating groundstrokes, both forehand and backhand, can cause a few troubles for Collins in this match. Talking about her weaknesses, Svitolina often looks a bit vulnerable against aggressive players, and her second serve has also been one of her biggest concerns in recent times.

On the other hand, Danielle Collins is known for her powerful serves and fiery groundstrokes. Her style of play allows her to hit a high number of winners, but at the same time, she’s often seen generating a high number of unforced errors. Collins’ biggest strengths are inside-out forehand and kick serve. She also has a strong double-handed backhand and incredible volleying skills.

So, keeping all these aspects in mind, I feel Collins is a real threat on this surface, but I’m expecting Svitolina to give a tough fight till the last minute in this epic duel.