(CNN)American Danielle Collins reached her maiden Grand Slam final on Thursday by beating Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Australian Open
Collins, 28, defeated seventh place in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 and meets world No. 1 Ash Barty in Saturday’s women’s singles final at Melbourne Park.
The 27th seed’s run to the finals caps a remarkable comeback story for Collins.
In April last year, the American underwent emergency surgery for endometriosis – a condition in which the tissue lining the uterus grows outside of it – and had sustained an abdominal injury at the French Open.
The Floridian has always been open about her health issues and says the pain from her endometriosis was among the worst she’s ever experienced.
“If I hadn’t had the surgery, I just couldn’t go on with my life like this,” Collins told the WTA website last August, adding that she experienced extreme pain, particularly during her menstrual cycles.
“The agony I’ve experienced from my menstrual cycles and from endometriosis is some of the worst pain I’ve ever had.”
Collins has credited the surgeon with saving her career and she is now playing some of the best tennis of her life since she burst onto the scene with a semi-final run in Melbourne in 2019.
The American is set to fight for a first Grand Slam title while opponent Ash Barty is hoping to become the first home Australian Open winner in 44 years.
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