| Fullname | Destanee Gabriella Aiava |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 10 May 2000 (age 26) |
| Birth place | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Residence | Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia |
| Turnedpro | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Height | 1.75 m |
| Careerprizemoney | $1,317,680 |
| Singlestitles | 10 ITF |
| Highestsinglesranking | No. 147 (11 September 2017) |
| Currentsinglesranking | No. 320 (16 February 2026) |
| Australianopenresult | 2R (2025) |
| Frenchopenresult | 1R (2025) |
| Wimbledonresult | Q3 (2017) |
| Usopenresult | 1R (2024, 2025) |
| Doublestitles | 14 ITF |
| Highestdoublesranking | No. 133 (5 August 2024) |
| Currentdoublesranking | No. 272 (17 November 2025) |
| Australianopendoublesresult | 2R (2024) |
| Australianopenmixedresult | 1R (2017, 2025) |
| Updated | 17 November 2025 |
Destanee Gabriella Aiava (born 10 May 2000) is an Australian professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 147 in singles, achieved on 11 September 2017, and No. 133 in doubles, set on 5 August 2024.
Aiava has won ten singles and fourteen doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. She made her major main-draw debut after winning the 2016 U18 Australian Championships, which granted her a wildcard into the 2017 Australian Open. She thus became the first player, male or female, born in 2000 or later to participate in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.[1]
Early life
Aiava was born in Melbourne to a New Zealand father of Samoan descent and a mother from American Samoa.[2] Her mother, Rosie, was a professional kickboxer and rugby player who represented the Australian national rugby team and her father, Mark, was a professional powerlifter.[3] In 2005, at four years of age, Aiava watched Serena Williams win the Australian Open final and was inspired to begin playing tennis.[4]
Junior years
2012–2016
In 2012, at the age of 12, Aiava represented Australia at Roland Garros in the Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament. Competing against fifteen of the top under-13 female tennis players, Aiava won the tournament and the right to play alongside Steffi Graf in an exhibition match.[5] The years following, Aiava played mainly on the junior circuit. In 2014, she won the Tecnifibre Tennis Central Championships and NZ ITF Summer Championships in New Zealand as well as Australian Internationals in Queensland and Victoria. At the age of 14, she won the U18 Canadian world ranking event in Montreal, Quebec.
Professional
2015–2016
In early 2015, Aiava made her professional debut at the Burnie International, after receiving wildcards into the singles and doubles draws, where she lost early in both. At the Launceston Tennis International, Aiava won her first pro main-draw match against Lu Jiajing. She also made the quarterfinals of a $15k tournament in Melbourne in April 2015. In March 2016, Aiava reached her first career final at a $25k tournament in Canberra which she lost, in three sets. In December 2016, she won the U18 Girls' Australian Championships and earned a wildcard into the 2017 Australian Open. She thus became the first player born in the year 2000 to play at a Grand Slam championship.[6]
2017: First titles and major debut
Aiava commenced the year by qualifying for the Brisbane International and her first appearance in a WTA Tour main draw.[7] Aiava defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round,[8] before losing to two-time major champion and world No. 9, Svetlana Kuznetsova. Aiava made her major debut at the Australian Open as a wildcard, losing in round one to Mona Barthel.
In February, Aiava won the first ITF Circuit title of her career, winning the $25k event in Perth by defeating Viktória Kužmová in the final. The following month, she won another $25k title, this time in Mornington, beating Barbora Krejčíková in the final. In April, Aiava was named to the Australia Fed Cup team for the first time.[9] In May, she reached the semifinals of the Open Saint-Gaudens, before losing in the first round of qualifying at the French Open. In June, Aiava lost in the final round of Wimbledon qualifying. In September, she reached the second round of qualifying for the US Open before being granted a wildcard into Tournoi de Québec, where she lost in the first round. In October, Aiava reached the final of the Canberra International. In December, she was unable to defend her girls' title, losing to Jaimee Fourlis in a reversal of the result from 2016.[10] The following week, Aiava won the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff.[11][12]
2018: Third ITF title
Aiava was awarded a wildcard into the Brisbane International[13] where she lost in the first round to another wildcard entry, Ajla Tomljanović.[14]
Aiava also was handed a wildcard for the Australian Open, where she was defeated in the first round by the world No. 1 and top seed, Simona Halep. Aiava had two set points in the first set, before going off-court to receive a medical timeout. She subsequently lost the match in straight sets.[15] Aiava reached the quarterfinals of the Burnie International and Zhuhai Open, before reaching the final of the Clay Court International.[16] In April, she won the title at the Osaka event, her third on the ITF Circuit and first title outside Australia.[17]
In May she lost in the first round of French Open qualifying.
2019–2022
Aiava began the season at the Brisbane International, where she qualified for the main draw with victories over Vania King, Mandy Minella and Christina McHale. She then defeated Kristina Mladenovic in the first round, before falling to second seed Naomi Osaka. Aiava received her third Australian Open wildcard entry, losing to 17th seed Madison Keys. She then won the Clay Court International title on March 24 by defeating world No. 289, Risa Ozaki.[18]
In January 2022, Aiava lost in the first round of Australian Open qualifying.[19]
2024: US Open debut
Ranked No. 180, she qualified for the main draw of the 2024 US Open, making her debut at this major with wins over Gergana Topalova, fourth seed Mai Hontama and Ana Konjuh.[20] She lost in the first round to fourth seed Elena Rybakina.[21]
2025: First major match win
Aiava defeated Eva Lys in the final qualifying round at the Australian Open to make it into the main draw.[22] She then claimed her first Grand Slam tournament win by defeating Greet Minnen in a match which went to a deciding set tiebreak.[23][24] Aiava lost in the second round to 10th seed Danielle Collins in another three-set match.[25]
She was given a wildcard into the main draw at the French Open,[26] but lost to Dayana Yastremska in the first round.[27] Aiava qualified for the US Open,[28] but once again lost in the first round, this time to seventh seed Jasmine Paolini.[29]
2026: Final season
In 2026, Aiava lost her first-round women's doubles match, and failed to qualify for the singles draw. She announced in February that she planned to retire at the end of the season, criticising the sport's sexism, racism, and homophobia.[30]
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q3 | 1R | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | 2R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 |
| French Open | A | Q1 | Q1 | A | A | A | A | A | Q1 | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 |
| Wimbledon | A | Q3 | A | Q1 | NH | Q1 | A | A | Q2 | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| US Open | A | Q2 | Q1 | Q1 | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0–2 |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0 / 8 | 1–8 |
Doubles
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 2R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0 / 5 | 1–5 |
WTA Challenger finals
Doubles: 1 (title)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jun 2025 | Birmingham Open, United Kingdom | Grass | Cristina Bucșa | Alicia Barnett Elixane Lechemia | 6–4, 6–2 |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 21 (10 titles, 11 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | May 2016 | Clay Court International, Australia | W25 | Clay | Eri Hozumi | 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(3) |
| Loss | 0–2 | Sep 2016 | ITF Tweed Heads, Australia | W25 | Hard | Lizette Cabrera | 3–6, 7–5, 2–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Feb 2017 | ITF Perth, Australia | W25 | Hard | Viktória Kužmová | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 2–2 | Mar 2017 | ITF Mornington, Australia | W25 | Clay | Barbora Krejčíková | 6–2, 4–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–3 | Nov 2017 | Canberra International, Australia | W60 | Hard | Olivia Rogowska | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 2–4 | Mar 2018 | Clay Court International, Australia | W60 | Clay | Dalila Jakupović | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 3–4 | Apr 2018 | ITF Osaka, Japan | W25 | Hard | Rebecca Marino | 6–3, 7–6(2) |
| Loss | 3–5 | Sep 2018 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W25 | Hard | Astra Sharma | 6–0, 6–7(5), 1–6 |
| Win | 4–5 | Mar 2019 | Clay Court International, Australia | W25 | Clay | Risa Ozaki | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4–6 | Feb 2020 | Launceston International, Australia | W25 | Hard | Asia Muhammad | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 4–7 | Feb 2020 | ITF Perth, Australia | W25 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | 4–6, 6–7(4) |
| Loss | 4–8 | Jul 2022 | ITF Caloundra, Australia | W15 | Hard | Talia Gibson | 6–7(4), 4–6 |
| Loss | 4–9 | Jul 2022 | ITF Caloundra, Australia | W15 | Hard | Talia Gibson | 4–6, 2–3 ret. |
| Loss | 4–10 | Sep 2022 | ITF Darwin, Australia | W25 | Hard | Alexandra Bozovic | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 5–10 | Nov 2022 | ITF Traralgon, Australia | W25 | Hard | Lizette Cabrera | 6–3, 6–7(4), 6–4 |
| Win | 6–10 | Aug 2023 | ITF Aldershot, United Kingdom | W25 | Hard | Alex Eala | 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 7–10 | Sep 2023 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W25 | Hard | Lizette Cabrera | w/o |
| Win | 8–10 | Nov 2023 | Sydney Challenger, Australia | W60 | Hard | Astra Sharma | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 9–10 | Oct 2024 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W35 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | 6–2, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 10–10 | Nov 2024 | Brisbane QTC Tennis International, Australia | W50 | Hard | Lizette Cabrera | 7–6(4), 4–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 10–11 | Feb 2025 | ITF Prague, Czech Republic | W60 | Hard (i) | Gabriela Knutson | 4–6, 6–3, 5–7 |
Doubles: 25 (14 titles, 11 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Aug 2018 | ITF Nonthaburi, Thailand | W25 | Hard | Naiktha Bains | Wang Xinyu Wang Xiyu | 5–7, 7–5, [4–10] |
| Loss | 0–2 | Nov 2018 | Canberra International, Australia | W60 | Hard | Naiktha Bains | Ellen Perez Arina Rodionova | 7–6(5), 3–6, [7–10] |
| Loss | 0–3 | Mar 2019 | Clay Court International, Australia | W25 | Clay | Ellen Perez | Naiktha Bains Tereza Mihalikova | 6–4, 2–6, [4–10] |
| Loss | 0–4 | Apr 2019 | Dothan Pro Classic, United States | W80 | Clay | Astra Sharma | Caroline Dolehide Usue Maitane Arconada | 6–7(5), 4–6 |
| Win | 1–4 | Sep 2019 | Darwin International, Australia | W60 | Hard | Lizette Cabrera | Alison Bai Jaimee Fourlis | 6–4, 2–6, [10–3] |
| Win | 2–4 | Oct 2019 | ITF Brisbane International, Australia | W25 | Hard | Naiktha Bains | Alison Bai Paige Hourigan | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–4 | June 2021 | ITF Madrid, Spain | W25 | Hard | Olivia Gadecki | Mana Ayukawa Han Na-lae | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–5 | Oct 2022 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W25 | Hard | Lisa Mays | Naiktha Bains Alexandra Bozovic | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 4–5 | Nov 2022 | Sydney Challenger, Australia | W60 | Hard | Lisa Mays | Alexandra Osborne Jessy Rompies | 5–7, 6–3, [10–6] |
| Win | 5–5 | Nov 2022 | ITF Traralgon, Australia | W25 | Hard | Katherine Westbury | Ankita Raina Priska Madelyn Nugroho | 6–1, 4–6, [10–5] |
| Win | 6–5 | Feb 2023 | Burnie International, Australia | W25 | Hard | Naiktha Bains | Lily Fairclough Olivia Gadecki | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 6–6 | Mar 2023 | Clay Court International, Australia | W60 | Clay | Olivia Gadecki | Erina Hayashi Yuki Naito | 6–7(2), 5-7 |
| Loss | 6–7 | June 2023 | Open ITF Madrid, Spain | W60 | Hard | Berfu Cengiz | Makenna Jones Jamie Loeb | 4–6, 7–5, [6–10] |
| Win | 7–7 | Jul 2023 | ITF Foxhills, UK | W25 | Hard | Rutuja Bhosale | Talia Gibson Petra Hule | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Win | 8–7 | Aug 2023 | ITF Aldershot, UK | W25 | Hard | Sarah Beth Grey | Erina Hayashi Saki Imamura | 6-4, 6-3 |
| Win | 9–7 | Sep 2023 | ITF Perth, Australia | W25 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Misaki Matsuda Naho Sato | 6-1, 6-4 |
| Win | 10–7 | Sep 2023 | ITF Perth, Australia | W25 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Talia Gibson Taylah Preston | 6-3, 7–6(3) |
| Win | 11–7 | Oct 2023 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W25 | Hard | Taylah Preston | Roisin Gilheany Alicia Smith | 7-6(5), 7-5 |
| Win | 12–7 | Oct 2023 | Sydney Challenger, Australia | W60 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Kyōka Okamura Ayano Shimizu | 6–0, 6–0 |
| Loss | 12–8 | Nov 2023 | ITF Brisbane International, Australia | W60 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Talia Gibson Priscilla Hon | 6–4, 5–7, [5–10] |
| Loss | 12–9 | Feb 2024 | ITF Traralgon, Australia | W35 | Hard | Tenika McGiffin | Yuki Naito Naho Sato | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 13–9 | May 2024 | Open Villa de Madrid, Spain | W100 | Clay | Eleni Christofi | Andrea Gámiz Eva Vedder | 6–3, 2–6, [10–5] |
| Loss | 13–10 | Oct 2024 | ITF Cairns, Australia | W35 | Hard | Alexandra Bozovic | Petra Hule Alana Parnaby | 6–3, 2–6, [2–10] |
| Loss | 13–11 | Oct 2024 | 2024 NSW Open, Australia | W75 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Lizette Cabrera Taylah Preston | 1–6, 6–3, [8–10] |
| Win | 14–11 | Nov 2024 | Brisbane QTC Tennis International, Australia | W50 | Hard | Maddison Inglis | Yuki Naito Ankita Raina | 6–3, 6–4 |
Wins over top-10 players
| Player | Rank | Tournament | Surface | Rd | Score | DAR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | |||||||
| 1. | Aryna Sabalenka | No. 10 | Rosmalen Open, Netherlands | Grass | 1R | 7–6(3), 1–6, 6–4 | No. 214 |
References
- ^ Schlink, Leo (21 December 2016). "Australian Open: Destanee Aiava to become first player born this century to play in Grand Slam". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "Tennis: The Australian Melting Pot". 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ Momoisea, Penina (27 August 2024). "Destanee Aiava becomes first female tennis player with Samoan heritage to play a US Open main draw". ABC Pacific. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ McCarvel, Nick (11 January 2017). "Young and powerful, Destanee Aiava on the brink of a breakthrough at Australian Open". ESPN. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ "DESTANEE AIAVA WINS LONGINES FUTURE TENNIS ACES TOURNAMENT AT ROLAND GARROS". tennis.com.au.
- ^ "AIAVA BOOKS AUSTRALIAN OPEN BERTH". Tennis Australia. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "AIAVA QUALIFIES FOR BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL". Tennis Australia. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
- ^ "AIAVA STUNS MATTEK-SANDS, SETS WTA RECORD". Tennis Australia. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ "FED CUP DEBUT FOR DESTINE AIAVA". Tennis Australia. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Fourlis wins 18/u title for Australian Open wildcard". Tennis Australia. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "DESTANEE AIAVA AND ALEX DE MINAUR WIN AUSTRALIAN OPEN WILDCARDS". Tennis Australia. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Aiava claims wildcard entry for Australian Open". 17 December 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Aiava and Tomljanovic earn Brisbane wildcards". 22 December 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Azarenka withdraws from Australian Open amid ongoing custody battle". TheGuardian.com. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Halep survives date with Destanee in opening round". Reuters. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "AIAVA FALLS IN CANBERRA FINAL". Tennis Australia. 25 March 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "DESTANEE AIAVA CLAIMS ITF TITLE IN JAPAN". Tennis Australia. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Destanee Aiava finally claims a Canberra title – Robicia Tennis". robiciatennis.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-25.
- ^ "Australian Open 2022: 14 Aussie Women Set for Qualifying". Tennis Australia. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "A record-breaking six Australians qualify at US Open 2024; Destanee Aiava is among six Australian players to secure a coveted main-draw spot through qualifying at US Open 2024.". tennis.com. 22 August 2024.
- ^ "US Open: Rybakina sees off spirited effort by qualifier Aiava". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "With all eyes on her, Aiava qualifies for Australian Open". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
- ^ "Aiava completes day of comebacks at Australian Open". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Wildcard winners give Australian fans reasons for optimism in Melbourne". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "'Thanks guys, love you': Danielle Collins tells fans to 'shut up' in win over Destanee Aiava". Nine. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
- ^ "Tristan Schoolkate And Destanee Aiava Awarded Roland Garros 2025 Wildcards". tennistourtalk.co. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "Tristan Schoolkate, Destanee Aiava and Rinky Hijikata all bundled out on opening day at Roland Garros". news.com.au. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ "Destanee Aiava qualifies for US Open main draw after winning thriller, Emerson Jones eliminated". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Top-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini pushes past Destanee Aiava at 2025 US Open". US Open. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Destanee Aiava calls out ‘racist’ tennis culture in explosive retirement post The Guardian