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Former teen star Aiava earns Open main-draw start

3 minute read

Former teen star Destanee Aiava has snared a berth in the main draw of the Australian Open, with the Victorian winning her third match in qualifying.

DESTANEE AIAVA.
DESTANEE AIAVA. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

An emotional Destanee Aiava has won through to her first Australian Open in four years as she looks to finally deliver on her huge teen promise.

Aiava appeared destined for the big time when she was the world's top-ranked 14-year-old, but she has faced a challenging decade since then, and battled mental-heath issues.

Now 24, Aiava won a berth in the Open main draw with a gutsy victory in the final round of qualifying on Thursday against German Eva Lys, winning 6-1 2-6 6-4.

Locked at 4-4 in the third set, the Victorian maintained her fearless approach with some booming ground strokes to break the 23rd seed, then served out the match.

Fellow Australian Maddison Inglis suffered heartbreak for the second straight year with another loss in the final round of qualifying, falling to Argentina's Julia Riera 6-4 1-6 2-6.

After the victory, a teary Aiava embraced her mother Rosie, who played rugby for the Wallaroos.

"I'm speechless," she said in her on-court interview.

"I haven't played in the main draw of an Australian Open for so long, and to qualify is even sweeter.

"I just means so much - Mum sacrificed so much, and I was with her every day in the pre-season working my arse off."

Currently ranked No.165 in the world, Aiava has played in the Open four times since 2017, but never advanced past the first round.

She also won through qualifying at last year's US Open, but lost in the first round to fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan.

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