By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham tennis prodigy Destanee Aiava has secured a wildcard for the 2023 Australian Open qualifying draw.
The right-hander won her first match of qualifying on Monday, and has two more to go if she is to make a fifth Australian Open main draw appearance.
Aiava is currently ranked 311 in the world in singles after making 13 main draw appearances last year, the most she has played in a calendar year since 2019.
Among those, she made four finals on the second-tier ITF tour, in back-to-back weeks in Caloundra in July and six weeks later she reached the Darwin final.
In November she broke her finals duck, winning the Traralgon 3 tournament with a win over reputable Aussie Lizette Cabrera.
Her 33-13 win-loss record in 2022 has given her a platform to make her mark on the tour again this season, having been as high as 147 as an emerging talent in 2017.
Now 22-years old, Aiava took some time away from the sport throughout 2020-21 as she endured personal difficulty.
Aiava is still hunting her first grand slam singles main draw win.
She is also ranked 246 in the world in doubles.
