Destanee Aiava achieved a huge milestone on Monday night and claimed her first-ever Grand Slam victory. After an intense battle, the 24-year-old Australian defeated Belgium’s Greet Minnen in a thrilling match, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (10-5). However, her big moment also brought crazy reactions on social media. Fans mistook Aiava for Naomi Osaka during the match, leaving the player genuinely confused. Here’s how the WTP star reacted to it.

Responding to this, she wrote on Twitter, “Why are people commenting and mistaking me for Naomi Osaka (I love her don’t come for me). Like I’m genuinely confused why multiple people are getting me mixed up with her ???????????” Aiava humorously talked about it while focusing on her game.

Aiava has been turning heads at the tournament with her unique outfit choices. She has worn iconic dresses previously sported by tennis stars, including Maria Sharapova’s 2012 US Open dress and Ana Ivanovic’s 2009 Australian Open outfit. Tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg called her style a “fun archival fashion moment.” However, the WTA star has also faced harsh criticism online, including body-shaming comments about her outfits.

In one instance, a troll suggested she needed to lose weight to improve her game. Aiava didn’t hold back, firing back at the comment with, “Shut the f**k up. ‘Not to hate’ or ‘body shame,’ and then you went and hated and body shamed.” Another comment accused her of ruining Sharapova’s dress due to her body shape, to which Aiava sarcastically replied, “Thank you so much. I love how your bio says ‘personal insult and swearing reply = block’ and then you go and comment a personal insult.”

This marked Aiava’s first Grand Slam main-draw victory in her sixth attempt. Previously, she had relied on wild cards for her first five appearances, finally qualifying for the US Open last year. The 24-year-old Australian is currently riding a nine-match winning streak, having capped off 2024 with a triumphant victory at the Brisbane ITF W50. However, the most significant aspect of her breakthrough may lie in its practical implications.

Aiava, who also trailed Minnen 5-2 in the second set, attributed her win to a combination of her unwavering self-belief and the enthusiastic support of the crowd. “I believed I could win before I stepped on the court,” she said. “It was just I felt like I wasn’t playing my best. I was getting a bit negative in the first set. She had a lot of momentum. I just told myself, if I have to say ‘c’mon’ every single point that I win, then I’m going to do that. I need to do whatever it takes to come back. It ended up going 5-5. I just heard the crowd get louder..They gave me the energy that I needed to get through that match, especially when I was down and had match points against me.”

This combination of resilience has made Aiava’s journey an inspiring story. Osaka too sees her younger self in this 24-year-old star.

Naomi Osaka Praises Destanee Aiava’s Talent

In her 2019 season opener, Osaka’s powerful serve propelled her to a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over the promising youngster, Aiava. Despite the defeat, Aiava, with her own potent serve and forehand, showcased glimpses of her potential, though consistency remained a challenge.

“I mean this was sort of like why I felt like I feel old a little bit because it was kind of like a younger me in a way,” Osaka told reporters after the match. “And I felt like when I was playing her she sort of matched my power, which was really surprising to me, because there are not that many people that can do that. So I’m really interested to see how she does like in the future.”

Born to Samoan parents outside of Melbourne, Aiava created a stir in 2016 by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to compete in a Grand Slam main draw. Currently ranked No. 247, she secured her place in the main draw through a successful qualifying campaign. Notably, she staved off match point against Mandy Minella in the second round of qualifying before convincingly defeating Christina McHale to qualify and subsequently overcoming Kristina Mladenovic to set up the clash with Osaka.

Osaka added, “I’ve seen her every time I go to this Australian swing, like the Australian Open. And then I watched her play [Simona] Halep [last year] in the first round. And I thought it was pretty amazing that she went to three sets and I didn’t.” 

Next up, Aiava meets Danielle Collins in the Australian Open’s second round on January 16, Thursday.