Danielle Collins vs Caroline Dolehide Prediction: Don’t write off Caroline Dolehide

This first-round 2024 US Open match pits Danielle Collins against Caroline Dolehide in a very interesting all-American encounter. Both players had their share of different paths leading into this encounter: Collins is more well-tenured on the WTA Tour, while Dolehide hopes to run deeper in a major event for the very first time.

Danielle Collins has shown quite some good form in the North American hard-court swing by getting through into the quarterfinals of the warm-up tournaments. She played aggressively right from the back of the court and was able to win big points when it mattered. She also has a healthy dose of power off both wings and a strong serve to back it up, which has enabled her to play really well on fast hard courts.

She likes playing first-strike tennis, and, with much more powerful groundstrokes off the forehand side, Collins is likely to dominate and dictate with powerful groundstrokes. Her ability to take the ball early and redirect it deep has been significant on hard courts. She can serve well, which sets her up properly for the point. She's aggressive on the return game, looking to take charge by returning the opponent's serve and getting back with pressure. Collins is known for her fighting spirit and mental resilience, which always seems to pull her through in tight situations. This will be a key factor in managing the pressure of the US Open.

Caroline Dolehide has been spotty over the last few months—on her day, she can get some really good wins, but for sure there has been no consistency there. Her strong serve and forehand have kept her in good stead under quicker conditions, but obvious struggles to maintain that intensity across whole matches resulted in early exits in a few tournaments. In fact, Dolehide played a number of qualifying rounds in the buildup to the US Open, so that would actually make her match-ready.

The game of Dolehide involves her serve and forehand. She enjoys dominating with her first serve, putting behind it powerful forehand strikes that will be her main way of taking control of the rallies. She might look to mix up the pace a bit, trying to bring Collins out of her comfort zone by hitting slices, drop shots, and net approaches. She will need to come up with an all-court game if she is to upset Collins' rhythm. Although Dolehide does have the power to match Collins, it is how she can sustain it through the match and keep her unforced errors under tight rein that will be crucial. Her movement and whether she can stand up to the long rallies might be questioned by Collins' aggressive style.

Collins dominated both previous matches on hard courts, so there is an edge to the stylistic matchup. In addition, Collins has played far more consistently than Dolehide throughout the US Open buildup and has gone deeper in tournaments while winning quality matches against higher-ranked players. From the baseline, playing aggressively suits her game to the conditions of fast hard courts at the US Open.

If Dolehide can serve at a high percentage and keep her aggression in check by not giving away too many unforced errors, then perhaps she might have the upset. Her chances rise only if she is able to get some varietal disruption into Collins' rhythm. With both players quite capable of hitting winners, this could easily stretch out into three sets. Given this, Collins might have an edge during clutch moments due to her toughness.

• Caroline Dolehide (+6) Games Handicap at 1.6 Odds
• Over 19.5 Games at 1.79 Odds
• Total 3 Sets at 2.75 Odds