Melbourne (AFP) - Fired-up American Danielle Collins says it was "super satisfying" to be able to bounce back and make the Australian Open quarter-finals after "scary" surgery last year for endometriosis.
The 27th seed outlasted 19th-seeded Elise Mertens 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a 2hr 51min marathon in sweltering heat on Rod Laver Arena and will play French veteran Alize Cornet for a place in the last four.
Collins went under the knife last year for a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
"Super satisfying and rewarding, because I think any time you're going to have a surgery like I had, I think any athlete would find it less than ideal and nerve-racking knowing how your body is going to recover after that type of surgery," she said.
"It's extremely painful and scary, because there is a lot of important things in life that you learn about during those surgeries.
"Yeah, I'm just very relieved that the surgery went well for me, and that now I'm able to perform more consistently from a physical standpoint.I think that's helped me a lot mentally, knowing that."
She is the third American woman to make the last eight, with Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula also through.
Collins was an Australian Open semi-finalist three years ago.
She clinched her maiden WTA Tour titles in San Jose and Palermo after a tough start to 2021 when she needed the surgery.
She had a dream start Monday, holding comfortably then breaking Mertens, but the Belgium warmed to the task and pushed Collins hard on her next service game.
The American held on but Mertens worked her first break point and converted for 1-3 when Collins netted then threw her racquet to the ground in frustration.
Constantly berating herself, Collins began to wilt as Mertens stayed cool to win five games in a row and take an enthralling set.
But she composed herself at the changeover and raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and put constant pressure on the Mertens serve.
The rallies were again long and Collins prevailed to take it to a decider, where momentum shifted as they exchanged breaks before Mertens ended with a whimper, double-faulting on match point.
