Danielle Collins has reached her first grand slam semi-final at the Australian Open and will take on two-times major champion Petra Kvitova for a place in Saturday's final.

Who is the American and how has she progressed to this point?

The college background

At 25-years-old, you might wonder why world No 35 Collins has only now made her breakthrough at a grand slam.

The right-hander turned professional in 2016 after graduating from the University of Virginia at 22 with a degree in media studies and a master's degree in business. Collins took the viewpoint that if tennis didn't work out, she needed a backup plan.

Even after winning her first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title in 2014, Collins could not be persuaded to side-step her studies and pursue tennis full-time.