19 December 2016 | Tennis Australia

Destanee Aiava (Vic) confirmed her reputation as one of the rising stars of Australian tennis by partnering Alicia Smith (Qld) to women’s doubles glory in the Australian Open Play-off.

Their 7-5 6-3 victory over Naiktha Bains (Qld) and Abbie Myers (NSW) earned the pair a wildcard place in the doubles main-draw at Australian Open 2017.

The triumph capped a stunning week for 16-year-old Aiava, who had already secured a debut appearance in the women’s Australian Open singles draw courtesy of a 7-5 6-3 victory over Jaimee Fourlis (Vic) in last Saturday’s 18/u girls’ Australian Championships final.

That win ensured the 16-year-old will become the first player born this century to play at a Grand Slam when she returns to Melbourne Park in January.

Looking ahead to January and the Australian Open draw, Aiava said: “I’d like to play Serena, she’s my idol, so that would be a good experience. I’m really excited.”

She added: “It feels unreal. I’m so excited to have the chance to play both singles and doubles at my favourite Grand Slam – it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

It is the first time a doubles play-off has been held during the December Showdown, which sees teams battle it out for a spot at the first Grand Slam event of 2017.

“We worked well together as a team,” Aiava said of her pairing with Smith.

“We’ve been playing together for quite a while now, so we know each other’s games. We just put that into play and came out with the win.”

Smith added: “I think (Tennis Australia) giving us the opportunity to show how good we are at doubles is amazing.

“A lot of people don’t see doubles as a Grand Slam thing, and it doesn’t get broadcast a lot. It’s fun and Des and I love playing together, so I’m just glad we had the opportunity to show what we can do.

“It’s been a dream since I was five to play in a Grand Slam, so I don’t think it’s actually sunk in at the moment.”

Tennis Australia Head of Women’s Tennis Nicole Pratt has kept a close eye on all the action this week.

“The girls have competed well all week and were rewarded with a big win over the top seeds today,” she said.

“These wildcards are a great opportunity to give our emerging players a taste of the Grand Slam experience, where they can see first-hand how hard the top players work, and what it means to be a professional.

“It’s likely Destanee will be one of the youngest players in the draw, and that comes with a unique kind of pressure. We’ll work closely with her team to manage both her own expectations and the extra attention that she’ll inevitably attract.”