Tears to joy for Aussie French Open wildcard
Destanee Aiava has gone from crying after her last-start loss to buzzing with excitement after snaring a wildcard for the French Open.
Aiava and fellow Aussie Tristan Schoolkate will get their main draw chances at Roland Garros in search of grand slam breakthroughs.
Ranked world No.157, Aiava made it to the second round of the Australian Open, her first main draw appearance since 2021, after taking down Belgium's Greet Minnen in the opening round.
She got the news of her Roland Garros wildcard from Australian Billie Jean King Cup captain Sam Stosur and conceded it came as a shock having been 'wallowing in my sadness' after a recent defeat.
'I'm so happy, honestly. I was not expecting it at all,' Aiava said on this week's episode of The Sit-Down podcast. Destanee Aiava will play in the French Open. Mark Stewart Credit: News Corp Australia
'I literally had just lost my match last week; it was a really tight match and I was crying. And I was just like laying down, you know, wallowing in my sadness, and then I got a call from Sam [Stosur], and I was like, 'oh, why is she calling me'? (laughter).
'She said, 'I hope this cheers you up, to offer you the French wildcard'. And I was like, 'Excuse me'? I had to look around to make sure like this was real life.
'I was just really happy, I was over the moon. Honestly, it's so special and I don't think it's sunk in yet, but I'm training on the clay and trying to prepare as best I can.
'There's always something good around the corner, I guess, in this sport.'
West Australian Schoolkate has enjoyed a career-best 12 months and moved to 129 in the world having captured his first ATP Challenger title at the 2024 Guangzhou International Challenger. Tristan Schoolkate has risen to world No. 129. Mark Stewart Credit: News Corp Australia
He made headlines at Australian Open 2025 by taking the first set against No.1 Jannik Sinner and now wanted to take advantage of his French Open opportunity.
'Thank you to Tennis Australia for this incredible opportunity,' Schoolkate said.
'My team and I have been putting in the work every day, always striving to reach new heights.
'I'm excited for the chance to compete against the world's best on the clay in Paris.'
The addition of Aiava and Schoolkate bring the Australian contingent in Roland Garros singles to 15.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Old man golf': Aussie veteran poised to make history at the US Open
Veteran Australian golfer Adam Scott could make history on Monday after overcoming treacherous conditions at the US Open to put himself into contention to win a second of golf's major tournaments. Scott sits in equal second at three-under, after finishing the third round at Oakmont Country Club with a three-under par 67. The 44-year-old held a share of the lead toward the end of his round, but will go into the last day just one shot behind leader Sam Burns. If Scott goes on to win the US Open, he will break a record for the longest wait between first and second major wins - after the Queenslander famously won his first in 2013 with a drought-breaking victory at the Masters. Scott would also become the second-oldest golfer to win a US Open. Scott showed all his experience and guile on Sunday, coming home with three birdies in the final six holes In a sign of how brutally tough the Oakmont Country Club course is to play this year, just four players are under par for the tournament after three rounds. The course's length, tricky greens and impossibly thick rough have made some of the world's best look like everyday hackers. But playing his 96th consecutive major tournament - dating back to 2001 - Scott played superbly to shoot back-to-back rounds of even par on the first two days, setting him up for a climb up the leaderboard in the 'moving day' third round. Scott said post-round he'd used all his years' experience to negotiate the course, and take advantage of the rare opportunities on greens that were softened up by some rain. 'I played really well, although you know I was fairly safe,' Scott said.
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
England cricket great Kevin Pietersen rips to shreds Australia's batting line-up
England cricket legend Kevin Pietersen has fired an early warning shot ahead of this summer's Ashes series in Australia. After watching Australia's batters struggle in the recent World Test Championship final against South Africa, Pietersen believes England bowlers will have little to fear when the Ashes begins in WA in November. Among other criticisms, Pietersen said the demise of 30-year-old Marnus Labuschagne was 'very strange' and he said allrounder Cameron Green should not be coming in at No.3 'The batting is not what the batting used to be. Apart from Steve Smith,' Pietersen said. 'I've not seen anything here that would worry me. Not seen it at all. 'I don't know what has happened to Marnus the last couple of years. 'He just won't hit the ball. It's very strange to see.' Pietersen also put the spotlight on Green, who made 4 and a duck against South Africa. 'Cameron Green is not a No.3,' Pietersen said. Not only are there form concerns, Australia's top line-up is ageing. Usman Khawaja is 38 and will turn 39 this December, Steve Smith is 36, Mitchell Starc is 35, Nathan Lyon will be 38 in November and Pat Cummins is 32. Even Beau Webster, who made his Test debut in January this year, will be 32 in December. The team is starting to look like Dad's Army but Pietersen was prepared to cut the veteran stars some slack, and backed in the bowlers. 'Smith is a different level, a modern great,' he said. He also thought Khawaja was certainly good for another Ashes campaign. 'Uzzie is what Uzzie is. He has a good record,' Pietersen said. 'Beau Webster, I've seen better batters than him from what I've seen here. And I've only seen him here and it would probably be hard for me to forge an opinion just on what I've seen here because the ball has actually done quite a bit. 'But just technique ... if I was an English bowler, I would fancy my chances against this batting line-up. 'Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Lyon, Scotty Boland, there's some proper bowling, but as an England bowler (I wouldn't be worried). 'I'd be saying I'd rather be a bowler this Ashes series.' Labuschagne is expected to be dropped for the Test against the West Indies but he could return to the team for the Ashes. Australian coach Andrew McDonald is certainly not ruling him out despite the fact he has a century drought that is almost 24 months long. 'He's a big part of the future of the team,' McDonald said. 'Anyone that averages (46.19) in Test cricket at that age (30) is important. 'We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start. 'If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order, but at the moment, he'd be disappointed with the returns. 'We're confident that he could return to his best, hence why we keep picking him, and it's at what point do we stop picking him? 'There's no harder worker than Marnus, and now it's really just about the returns.'
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
No shocks yet in Halle tune-up as Wimbledon looms
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian and French Opens. The former US Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist required an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break-point opportunities and saving both break points he faced. Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in a gruelling first-round battle. Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in Monday's first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0. The final set was tight throughout. Tsitsipas clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory. It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world No.3, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018. Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in one hour. Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday. Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew due to injury. Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian and French Opens. The former US Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist required an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break-point opportunities and saving both break points he faced. Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in a gruelling first-round battle. Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in Monday's first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0. The final set was tight throughout. Tsitsipas clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory. It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world No.3, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018. Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in one hour. Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday. Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew due to injury. Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian and French Opens. The former US Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist required an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break-point opportunities and saving both break points he faced. Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in a gruelling first-round battle. Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in Monday's first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0. The final set was tight throughout. Tsitsipas clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory. It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world No.3, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018. Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in one hour. Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday. Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew due to injury. Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has eased past home hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-3 at Germany's Halle Open, looking to find form in his Wimbledon tune-up after early round losses at the Australian and French Opens. The former US Open winner and 2022 Halle finalist required an hour to beat the German, converting three of six break-point opportunities and saving both break points he faced. Altmaier saved two match points on Medvedev's serve but was ultimately beaten on the third, as the twice Wimbledon semi-finalist closed out his opening Halle match and inched closer in his chase for a first grass-court title since Mallorca in 2021. Stefanos Tsitsipas, unseeded at an event for the first time since 2018, edged past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in a gruelling first-round battle. Tsitsipas broke for a 3-2 lead in Monday's first set and held off a late charge from Darderi to take it 6-4. The Italian hit back in style, breaking early for 3-0. The final set was tight throughout. Tsitsipas clinched the match in a tense tiebreak, needing four match points to seal victory. It was his first event with coach Goran Ivanisevic, who joined his team after a second-round exit at Roland Garros. Tsitsipas, a former world No.3, is now ranked 25th, his lowest position since 2018. Alexander Bublik, Halle 2023 winner, dispatched France's Alexandre Muller 6-4 6-4. The Kazakh broke late in the first set and struck early in the second, dominating on serve to wrap up the match in one hour. Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals two weeks ago before losing to eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner, will next face either Halle defending champion Sinner or Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, who play on Tuesday. Last year's runner-up Hubert Hurkacz of Poland withdrew due to injury.
