“I don’t know if I’ve broken through yet. I just am trying to keep the momentum going from my (qualifying) matches,” said an emotionally charged Destanee Aiava after registering her first-round win at the 2025 Australian Open. After winning two consecutive qualifiers, to seal her spot in the Melbourne Major, the Samoan-Australian stormed into the second round, with a third straight win, after conquering Belgian’s Greet Minnen to kickstart her campaign. While the World No.165’s undying passion for tennis has kept her going, her parents have made a huge contribution to her career. But who are they?

Destanee Aiava was born in 2000, in Melbourne, to Mark and Rosie Aiava. Her father Mark was born in New Zealand to Samoan parents. In his initial years, he competed as a powerlifter. Later, he decided to become a personal trainer. Speaking of her mother Rosie, she was born in American Samoa. She’s been a professional rugby player. Rosie was a member of the national women’s rugby team of Australia (popularly known as Wallaroos).

When Aiava began her tennis journey as a teenager, Rosie was one who provided her crucial guidance. No wonder that she was her first coach as well. Under her tutelage, Destanee even succeeded in making her Grand Slam debut, back in 2017’s Australian Open. At 16, she was beaten in her maiden Slam encounter, by Germany’s Mona Barthel. But a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(3) indicated that she was a promising young talent in the making. Seems like she’s made it evident with her current run Down Under.

For the unversed, it’s her fourth appearance in the coveted tournament. Apart from being a talented player, Aiava is also known for her outspoken and clear personality. And it’s been on full display during the season’s first Major. Upon receiving comparisons with a Japanese tennis sensation, the 24-year-old responded in her own way. But what did she say?

Destanee Aiava reacts to comparisons with Naomi Osaka

After defeating Greet Minnen with a scoreline of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5) in the first round, she was undoubtedly happy. “I believed I could win before I stepped on the court,” said Aiava. Appreciating the audience’s love during the match, she added, “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.”

As expected, her win resulted in a lot of buzz on social media. Many fans came out with positive and praiseworthy reactions. But some of them left her confused and frustrated. Why? Apparently, they mistook her for Naomi Osaka. She then took to her X account and wrote, “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 ???????????”

For the unversed, Osaka and Destanee Aiava have already met. Back in 2019’s Australian Open, Osaka kick-started her campaign with a win over the Samoan-Australian WTA pro. Despite having a scoreline of 6-2, 6-2, the four-time Major winner praised Destanee’s on-court skills and stroke-making abilities. “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,” said Osaka in a post-match official interview in January 2019. “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.” she concluded.

Coming back to Aiava’s ongoing Australian Open campaign, she will now face World No.11 Danielle Collins. The American WTA pro is coming off her win over Ukraine’s Daria Snigur on Monday. It will be intriguing to see who will emerge victorious in the upcoming face-off in the second round on Thursday. What’s your prediction? Let us know in the comments below.