Danielle Collins gets into it with the Australian crowd booming

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Danielle Collins got into a back-and-forth with a booing crowd on Australian Open after eliminating a local player Thursday night, blowing kisses to the crowd and repeating the phrase, “What about it?!”

The 10th-seeded Collins, an American who was runner-up to Australian Ash Barty in the 2022 final, defeated Destanee Aiava 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 over nearly 2 1/2 hours.

That’s when the fun began. First, the 31-year-old Collins – as originally planned to retire after last season but decided to return to the tour in 2025 – held her hand to her left ear and, looking into the stands at the Kia Arena, said that three-word phrase a few times. Then, as the jeers got louder, she started blowing kisses to the fans.

“The people who don’t like you and the people who hate you, they actually pay your bills. Obviously, my professional career is not going to last forever,” Collins said at her press conference, noting that any , who “bought a ticket to come out here and bash me, it all goes to the Danielle Collins Fund.”

She said she planned to spend some money on a “five-star vacation,” mentioning that she and her friends “like boats; we like big boats; we like yachts.”

Earlier, as Collins began the usual postgame interview at the stadium, the noise from the seats kept coming, interrupting her initial response. So she paused and smiled, then said, “I was thinking during the game … as long as I’m out here, I might as well take the big fat check.”

She added: “Thank you for coming out here and supporting us tonight.”

After speaking briefly about his next opponent – another American, No. 19 Madison Keys, who reached the final of the 2017 US Open – Collins turned her attention back to the crowd and finished by saying, “Thanks, everybody. Thanks, guys. Love you!”

Aiava is only ranked 195th and had to go through qualifying rounds to earn a spot in the women’s ranks. But she gave Collins a tough competition.

“I wasn’t super surprised with how Destanee played,” Collins said. “I just had to … do everything I can.”

Collins, who is from Florida and played college tennis at Virginia, famously entered one post-match spat with Iga Swiatek at the Olympics in Paris last August.

As for the altercation out there on the field with the paying customers on Thursday, Collins said: “I loved it. I’ve been doing this my whole life. I love playing (in front of) a crowd that has energy, no matter what side they’re on on. It motivates me more.”

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