MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Danielle Collins found herself in an exchange with a booing crowd at the Australian Open after knocking out a local player Thursday night, blowing kisses to spectators and repeating the phrase: “And that ?! »
10th-seeded Collins, an American who was runner-up to Australian Ash Barty in the 2022 final, beat Destanee Aiava 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 in nearly 2 1/2 hours.
That’s when the party started. First, Collins, 31, who initially planned to retire after last season but decided to return to the tour in 2025, held his hand over his left ear and, looking into the stands at Kia Arena, declared these three words sentence several times. Then, as the jeers got louder and louder, she started blowing kisses to fans.
“People who don’t like you and people who hate you actually pay your bills. Obviously, my professional career is not going to last forever,” Collins said during her press conference, noting that whoever “bought a ticket to come here and heckle me, it’s all going to be donated to the Danielle Collins Fund.”
She said she planned to spend money on a “five-star vacation” and mentioned that she and her friends “love boats; we like big boats; we love yachts.
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