Australian Open star Destanee Aiava has purchased a £17.50 tennis outfit from Facebook ahead of her opening match against Greet Minnen after failing to secure a sponsor for the tournament. The Australian has come through three qualifying matches to cement her place in the first round of the Grand Slam.
Aiava, 24, thrashed Romania’s Ana Bogdan 6-4, 6-2 in her first qualifying match, before seeing off Hungary’s Panna Udvardy 6-4, 6-1 in her second encounter.
And she overcame Germany’s Eva Lys 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in her final match as she reached the first round of the Australian Open for the fifth time in her career.
Aiava wore replicas of vintage dresses made famous by Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic during her qualifying matches after stumping up the cash to buy them online.
And after being quizzed about her attire for her showdown with Minnen, she explained: “I found one on Facebook yesterday before my match. I might go pick that up. It’s only $35, which is a steal.
“I am hoping to get a sponsor. I’ll probably have to put up with wearing the same thing as other people. But for now I’m loving picking whatever I want to wear and buying whatever I want.”
In one of her qualifying outings, the talented ace wore a replica of the light pink Nike dress that Sharapova sported during her run to the US Open semi-finals in 2012.
And discussing the outfits Sharapova, Ivanovic and Serena Williams used to wear, she stated: “I just loved what they wore. I think some of the stuff that is being designed is quite ugly. I just like to wear what I think looks good. I don’t like wearing the same thing as everyone else.
“I didn’t really think it would make any impact at all, me wearing the dresses. But I’m glad I did. Yeah, it’s been fun bringing them back. I think even if you lose, it’s still kind of a fashion runway when you’re on the court.”
Aiava, who hit back at online trolls earlier this week, had never qualified for any of the other three Grand Slams before last year, but progressed to the first round of the US Open in August before losing 6-1, 7-6 to 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Her last appearance in the main draw of the Australian Open came in 2021, when she was dispatched 6-4, 6-4 by Samantha Stosur.
And the Aussie will be aiming to reach the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time ever when she goes head-to-head with Belgium’s Minnen, with the match scheduled for Monday.
