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St. Petersburg’s homegrown pro tennis star, Danielle Collins, caught the world’s attention when she stormed into the Australian Open championship match this past weekend in Melbourne. Facing world No. 1 Ash Barty, who also happens to be Australian, the No. 30-ranked Collins had little to no support from the home crowd but managed to give Barty a spirited fight. She dropped the first set, 2-6, but nearly ran away with the second before blowing a 5-1 lead and losing in a tiebreaker.
“It’s not the result, obviously, that I wanted,” Collins said in a post-match press conference. “But I gave it my best effort … I did everything I could. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way, but it was a great event for me."
Collins’ thunderous groundstrokes — commentators heaped praise upon her two-handed backhand, with some calling it the best shot on display in the tournament — and fiery, tenacious demeanor surely won her some new fans. Rooting hard for Collins from half a world away were the team at Dynasty Financial Partners, the St. Pete firm that sponsors her and whose logo appears on the gear she wears during matches.
Dynasty — which offers wealth management and technology platforms for registered investment advisor firms — relocated from Manhattan to St. Pete in 2019, and the move has been a boon for the company, so much so that it’s filed an IPO that seeks to raise $100 million. According to a Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, the 292 advisors in Dynasty’s network collectively manage some $65 billion in assets.
“As we look to further build awareness of the Dynasty brand … creating a partnership in supporting Danielle was a natural fit,” Dynasty Chief Marketing Officer Gordon Abel tells Coffee Talk. “As a native of St. Pete, she’s a hometown hero representing our local community where our employees work and live. We are proud to say Danielle Collins is powered by Dynasty.”
Collins, 28, had a blue-collar tennis upbringing, learning the sport on the public hard courts in St. Pete, where she still lives. Far from being a heralded junior, she played college tennis, which has become exceptionally rare for players on a professional track, first at the University of Florida and then the University of Virginia, where she won the NCAA singles championship as a sophomore and senior.
With her run at the Australian Open, Collins moved up to No. 10 in the world and pocketed $1.58 million — so it’s a good thing she’s a client of CW Boss, the athlete advisory arm of Dynasty affiliate Cyndeo Wealth Partners.