Danielle Collins bursts into tears and screams 'why is this happening to me' during match

Danielle Collins shrieked "why is this happening" during her Cincinnati Open clash against Taylor Townsend on Friday afternoon. Townsend ran out a comfortable straight sets winner, defeating her countrywoman 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) in the opening round of the competition.

It's been a taxing couple of months for Collins, who has struggled for form ever since the French Open. In fact, on just one occasion since Roland-Garros has the world No.57 won more than two matches at a tournament.

That came as last month's Wimbledon, when Collins reached the third round of the Championships, losing to eventual winner Iga Swiatek. But since returning to North America, Collins was dumped out in the opening round at the Washington Open, before suffering a second-round defeat at the recent Canadian Open.

Collins, now out of the Cincinnati Open too, was unable to hide her frustration in the Townsend defeat, with the American screaming out: "Why is this happening to me?" during an emotional outburst. The tennis icon had been embroiled in the tiebreaker when she turned to her coaches and let out the cry.

It's unclear as to what exactly Collins was upset about, but given she'd struggled at times throughout the match, it was likely a complaint about her own performance. Collins continued to look upset after match point, with the 31-year-old storming off the court, leaving Townsend left on her own.

Townsend did spot that Collins had left her equipment unattended, with the 29-year-old spotted handing it over to her opponent's coaching team. Townsend will now go on to play against Liudmila Samsonova in round two, with the winner of that clash set to play against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro or Leylah Fernandez.

Collins had previously gone back on plans to retire, with the Australian Open finalist having said she intended to hang up her racket at the end of 2024. She went back on her decision, claiming her endometriosis had prompted her to have a rethink.

Speaking at the backend of 2024, Collins said: "I think right now my career is a really good distraction from everything else that is going on. It's bittersweet and I'm excited to be able to continue playing but also hoping the next chapter can come sooner rather than later.

"It certainly has been so encouraging hearing all of these positive words from these people in tennis and a lot of the girls I compete against, they have become a huge support system to me over the last couple of months, and when I have had challenging times previously."