By Jonty Ralphsmith
Young Narre Warren tennis player Destanee Aiava fell short at the final hurdle in her quest to qualify for the Australian Open Women’s Singles main draw.
Aiava is currently ranked 208th in the world which sits outside automatic qualification for the grand slam tournament.
The 23-year-old won her first qualifying match in straight sets over world number 147 Chloe Paquet, before digging deep to come from a set and a break down to overcome Swiss world number 137 Jill Teichmann 2-6 7-5 6-1.
In the final round of qualifying, however, she fell short in a tense battle with Renata Zarazua, going down 7-6 3-6 4-6.
Aiava was clinical when given break point opportunities but wasn’t able to match her higher-ranked opponent’s first serve throughout the day.
The exciting Australian burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old at the 2017 Australian Open, but has been unable to take the next step in her career, facing several challenges on and off the court in the intervening period.
A strong finish to 2023, which included titles at Aldershot, Cairns and Sydney on the ITF circuit, have primed Aiava for a big season.
