AIAVA'S DREAM FORTNIGHT COMES TO AN END

A dream two weeks for Destanee Aiava has come to a grinding halt against American 10th-seed Danielle Collins, as the Melbournain went down 6-7(4), 6-4, 2-6 in front of an adoring crowd at Kia Arena. 

Entering last week as one of 128 potential qualifiers, Aiava produced some of her best tennis in recent years to make her way into the main draw before earning her maiden Grand Slam win on Monday night in what she described as a "better feeling than receiving a wild card" having earned her way into the tournament. 

Facing a more experienced and accomplished opponent in Collins, Aiava, who was wearing a yellow Nike dress designed for Maria Sharapova for the 2011 French Open, looked confident and calm as she walked out on court before a passionate Australian crowd; many of whom had learned the depth of journey and strong character this week.

Picking up where she left off from her come-from-behind win against Greet Minnen, Aiava held her ground against her more highly fancied opponent in the early stages of the first set.  Though Collins faced less resistance on her serve, the pair traded breaks in the fifth and sixth games of the set before holding out to force a tiebreaker.

With the crowd almost entirely behind her, Aiava tried to press the advantage against Collins in the breaker but was too eager as she gifted Collins a 5-0 lead with a run of untimely errors. Collins, though, tried her best to let Aiava back in the contest as she pushed two forehands long and quickly saw her lead evaporate to one.  

Steeling herself, Collins found a drive volley winner and a big second serve to the deuce court that Aiava could not return to take the set.  

The second set, however, took a surprise turn as Collins took issue with the partisan Australian crowd while serving in the opening game of the set.  Distracted and flustered, Collins, like compatriot Sebastian Korda the evening prior, was baited into mistakes and threw away the opening game. 

Aiava then consolidated the break and skipped away to a 5-2 lead before Collins called for a medical timeout to manage a troublesome toe. 

The halt in play was not kind to Aiava who tightened up ever so slightly as Collins closed the lead to 5-4.  

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Facing the threat of having her lead entirely extinguished, Aiava stood firm and imposed her will on Collins as she closed out the second set 6-4 to the delight of her home fans. 

Unfortunately for Aiava, she was unable to maintain her second set level in the decider as Collins’ injury appeared to subside after taking pain medication. Crucially, Aiava’s serving percentage dropped as Collins’ backhand, perhaps the best shot on the court, became the decisive shot in most rallies. 

Though the pair fought their way to 2-2, it was all Collins from there as she stormed home with the match; much to the displeasure of the Kia Arena crowd who soon learned of Collins’ feisty personality if they hadn’t already learned as much as she blew kisses to those who’d supported against her.

Receiving jeers during her on-court interview, Collins thanked the crowd for their lack of support and revealed her delight at receiving a bigger paycheck to fund a luxurious holiday with friend and coach Coco Vanderweghe. 

For Aiava, the tight loss marks the end of her four-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, though the Samoan-Australian lost no fans as she took it right up to the former Australian Open finalist. 

Aiava’s doubles campaigns begin on Friday as she partners Maddison Inglis in the women’s and Omar Jasika in the mixed event. 

The 24-year-old earned A$200,000 for her efforts.

Over on Rod Laver Arena, wildcard Tristan Schoolkate can hold his head high, taking a set off world No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner in what looked like a potential boilover.

Sinner, the Australian Open defending champion, was nowhere near his best as he conceded the first, with Schoolkate's constant net approach causing the Italian problems.

That wouldn't prove to be enough to derail Sinner, responding in style to clinch a 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3 victory.

"I saw a stat after the match that [it] was the first set in 20-something sets in a row for him. That was obviously a pretty good feeling grabbing the first.

"It's the reason he's at the top of his game that he could hold his level for longer in that match. He sort of ran away with it a bit. From the third set he lifted his level a little bit, and maybe I dropped off a bit."

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