What a match-up it was between Danielle Collins and Destanee Aiava’s on Thursday! Their second round encounter in the Australian Open 2025 was no less than a rollercoaster ride. It had its twists and turns and an unmissable drama that unfolded between Danimal and the crowd at the KIA Arena. While it had its entertainment factor checked, it seems a major TV channel, with rights to broadcast the event’s matches, may have sidelined this singles match. At least that’s what some angry fans have echoed on social media.

It was a high-octane battle between the world No.10 and 165-ranked Aiava. The American tennis sensation stunned the last Aussie player in the WTA main draw, but not without challenges. Despite winning the first set, Collins was unable to maintain her rhythm and trailed 5-2 in the second set. Taking a surprising decision, she decided to opt for a medical timeout and was seemingly struggling with a foot issue. She also took medication to counter it and was soon back on the court. Despite making a strong return, Collins could not win the second set, and that’s where the drama began.

When a fan distracted her while serving, she yelled “Shut Up!”. But the booing got more aggressive. After she won, Collins took a dig at the spectators, who wanted her to lose.

She was seen blowing kisses at them while cupping her hand to her ear and saying, “And now what?” She also kept chanting, “How ’bout that!”. She continued her antics while blowing a kiss to the crowd and patting her back. The icing on the cake, for her, was the moment when she took the mic during post-match interview, and mocked the Aussie fans.

She said “Thank you guys, love ya.” for targeting her. While the match itself was worth watching, Caitlyn Cassidy, a reporter for The Guardian, was annoyed at the treatment given to this gripping second round fixture on TV.

“Channel 9 choosing to cover a doubles game on their free to air network of Kygrios and Kokkinakis over Destanee Aiava’s second round game – who has just gone to a tiebreak in the first set – is a wildly disgraceful way to promote women’s sport  @AustralianOpen @Channel9″ she wrote in a post on X on Thursday.

Apparently, she believes Channel 9 may have decided to skip airing Aiava and Collins’ match for Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis’ doubles encounter. However, Cassidy isn’t the only one thinking this way. Several tennis viewing fans also believe the same!

Fans slam TV channel for reportedly ignoring Destanee Aiava vs. Danielle Collins’ match

For the uninitiated, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis also had their first round doubles match scheduled for Thursday. They were to play against the pair of compatriots, Alexander Vukic and James Duckworth. Channel 9 had a difficult time in deciding which match to air on TV. It’s because there were fixtures taking place simultaneously, including Collins vs. Aiava.

• It’s nuts. I was watching Destanee on my phone. @wwos coverage of #AO25 on Ch9 & 9Gem has been ghastly; choosing to screen every Australian player regardless of ranking and what seeds are playing. Tennis fans want to see quality matches on TV, if they’re Aussies that’s a bonus.
• I went searching for Aiava’s match- was surprised to not find it on any of the FTA 9 channels & streamed it instead

Tennis Australia has sparked controversy with a creative, yet unconventional, solution to broadcasting restrictions. To circumvent limitations and allow fans to watch live matches on social media, they’ve transformed players into cartoon characters.

While this innovative approach has divided fans, it was necessitated by Channel 9’s difficult choice to broadcast only two matches out of the highly anticipated Nick Kyrgios, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz clashes on Monday night.

Alcaraz fans seeking live coverage were met with an unexpected surprise: a quirky YouTube stream featuring cartoon versions of the players. This unique approach, while entertaining, highlights the challenges of navigating modern sports broadcasting in the digital age. And this isn’t the first time a major broadcaster has been criticized during a Slam.

• Aiava and Collins are having a fantastic match. Bad decision Ch 9.
• The coverage is horrific
• I was more outraged that they put doubles on over singles. When any tennis fan knows doubles is heading for exhibition status!

Back in September 2023, during the US Open, ESPN received the heat for not airing the mixed doubles finals encounter. It had Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek up against Anna Danilina and Harri Heliövaara. Back then, Aussie Ellen Perez, a mixed doubles player, took to X and wrote, “Can someone explain to me why ESPN isn’t streaming the mixed finals? Honestly, tennis coverage in general is so pathetic” 

Coming to the latest situation, what are your thoughts on the entire matter? Do you think the reaction of fans in the case of Aiava vs. Collins’ match is justified? Let us know in the comments below.