After impressing one and all with a straight-set victory in the first round of 2025 Australian Open, Destanee Aiava is all set for her next encounter. The Samoan-Australian WTA pro won two consecutive qualifiers, a week ago, on her way to the first Major down under. Carrying the momentum further, she clinched the first round match against Belgium’s Greet Minnen, making it a hat-trick of wins! The World No.165 has climbed her way up in the tennis world in recent years, thanks to her family. But there’s another person who’s been with her – a trusted coach. But do you know who her trainer is?

Destanee Aiava was born to Mark and Rosie Aiava, in Melbourne, in the year 2000. Her father Mark is natively from New Zealand, born to Samoan parents while her mother Rosie was born in the American Samoa. Mark was initially a powerlifter in his younger days. However, he decided to switch to personal training later. Speaking of Rosie, she’s been a professional rugby player for Australia’s national women’s rugby team. It was Rosie only who guided Destanee in her childhood to get better at tennis. While her mother was her first coach, there came a stage when Destanee needed an experienced eye. In picture, comes former Australian WTA pro Nichole Kriz – Aiava’s present coach.

Aiava made her Grand Slam debut under her mother’s tutelage, at 16, in 2017’s Wimbledon. But immediately after that, Nichole Kriz was brought in to hone her skills. For the unversed, Kriz, born in 1983 in Sydney, belongs to a sporting family. Her father, Myke, played ice hockey and soccer for Czechoslovakia. On the other hand, her older sister Michelle has been Australian’s former No.2 skater. So how could Nichole resist becoming an athlete?

Kriz’s love for tennis began while watching her dad and mother, Seija, playing the sport socially. At the age of six, Kriz took up tennis. And by the time she turned 15, she was already the No.1 junior player in Australia, representing the team of New South Wales. As a professional, she succeeded in reaching a career-best ranking of No.104, in 2007.

Apart from being Aiava’s current trainer, she’s also the Director at the National Tennis Academy in Brisbane. There, she contributes to overseeing the academy’s program in shaping up rising, talented players, aged between 16 and 23. She was given this role last year. While reflecting on her journey and the role, on the eve of International Women’s Day in March 2024, she said, “I really want to make a difference for the athletes and their families, with their experiences throughout the pathway, and work with our team to create a great environment for them,” as reported by Tennis.com last March.

For nearly eight years now, Kriz has been with Aiava, training her to be a world-class player. But the role will get more crucial going forward, considering that Aiava’s got an important match lined up. But before that, she revealed what her first-round victory at the 2025 Australian Open meant to her.

First-round win “makes a world of difference” for Destanee Aiava

Before coming under the light of glory, Destanee Aiava‘s past was surrounded by darker days. For the unversed, she once suffered a long mental battle. In fact, she even thought of jumping off a bridge, back in 2022, as per several reports. Fortunately, she was saved after three people managed to drive her home after stopping her. Remembering this moment, she said, “I did not want to make it to my 22nd birthday.” as reported by Daily Mail on January 14. As it turns out, her life wasn’t always great in terms of having comfort.

After her first-round win, she spoke about how it can help her solve her financial problems going forward. With her victory, she’s guaranteed to earn at least $200,000. Expressing her sentiments, she revealed that this amount “makes a world of difference” for her. Especially considering the fact she’s still out of the Top 100. Being a lower-ranked player, it’s been tough for her to attract huge sponsorship deals. Which means her only way to earn a good amount of money is through her performances in bigger events.

Adding on to her feelings after the win, she said, “It means that I can bring someone to travel with this year and I can afford to actually go to all the tournaments that I want to. It really helps. Financially, tennis is so expensive. I struggle traveling on my own”

“The fact that I get to bring my fiancé with me and hopefully one of my family members to the big ones (majors), it makes a world of a difference.” she concluded. As is always the case with a less popular face, she’s now getting lots of eyeballs. But with the newfound fame comes the pressure of maintaining her winning momentum.

On Thursday, Aiava will face America’s Danielle Collins in the second round. The World No.11 comfortably beat Ukraine’s Daria Snigur in her maiden match of the Australian Open on Monday. It will be intriguing to see who emerges as the ultimate third round candidate on January 16. Do you think Aiava will make it to the next stage? Let us know in the comments below.