Aiava, three others survive match points on a wild Day 2 at Australian Open

The second day at this year’s Australian Open delivered plenty of drama, with four players escaping match-point deficits to win thrilling first-round matches. The evening reached its peak on Court 3, where home favorite Destanee Aiava overcame Greet Minnen 5-7, 7-5, 7-6[5] in a marathon 3-hour battle. Trailing 5-4 in the final set, Aiava saved two match points before completing her remarkable comeback.

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The result was also a first Grand Slam main-draw win at the sixth attempt for Aiava, 24, who contested the first five as a wild card before qualifying for the first time at last year’s US Open. The Australian is now on a nine-match winning streak, having ended her 2024 season with the Brisbane ITF W50 title — and the most important aspect of her breakthrough could be a practical one.

“It means that I can bring someone to travel with this year, and I can afford to actually go to all the tournaments that I want to,” Aiava said afterward. “It really helps. Financially, tennis is so expensive. I struggle traveling on my own. The fact that I get to bring my fiancé [ATP pro Corey Gaal] with me and hopefully one of my family members to the big ones, yeah, it makes a world of a difference.”

Photos: All of 2025’s winners from match point down

Aiava, who also trailed Minnen 5-2 in the second set, attributed her comeback to both her own self-belief and the crowd’s support.

“I believed I could win before I stepped on the court,” she said. “It was just I felt like I wasn’t playing my best. I was getting a bit negative in the first set. She had a lot of momentum. I just told myself, if I have to say ‘c’mon’ every single point that I win, then I’m going to do that. I need to do whatever it takes to come back. It ended up going 5-5. I just heard the crowd get louder..

“They gave me the energy that I needed to get through that match, especially when I was down and had match points against me.”

Aiava saved her first match point with an unreturned serve and her second by ending a 13-shot rally with a hefty forehand winner.

Aiava, known for her vintage outfits sourced online during qualifying, debuted a new look: a blue-and-black dress originally worn by Caroline Wozniacki in 2013.

Day 2’s other winners from match point down

Moyuka Uchijimawho edged Magda Linette 4-6, 6-2, 7-6[8] in 2 hours and 13 minutes for her first win in four meetings with the Pole, her third career Top 50 win and her first main-draw victory in Melbourne. Linette held one match point at 5-3 in the third set, but double-faulted.

Harriet Dartwho only found out she would be playing an hour before going on court. The Briton received a lucky loser spot after Marketa Vondrousova withdrew and went on to defeat qualifier Jana Fett 7-5, 2-6, 7-6[7]. Dart saved two match points as Fett served at 6-5 in the third set. On the first, she delivered some spectacular defense before Fett netted a forehand. On the second, Fett double-faulted — the start of a nine-point run for Dart that took her to a 6-0 lead in the super-tiebreak.

Afterward, Dart said that while the short notice meant she hadn’t been able to prepare as usual with a full match breakdown, it hadn’t come as a total surprise.

“I had already practiced, so I knew there was potentially [a lucky loser place],” she said. “You see how a couple people are, and you kind of have the eye on certain things. [But] until someone actually withdraws, it’s pretty difficult to be in the zone.”

Elise Mertens ended qualifier Viktorija Golubic’s 15-match winning streak with a high-quality 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 victory. The Belgian, a finalist in Hobart last week, faced double match point in the second-set tiebreak. She saved the first with an efficient one-two punch, and the second as Golubic sent a backhand inches long to end a thrilling 19-shot rally.