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(CNN) — Danielle Collins appeared to revel in playing the part of pantomime villain at the Australian Open on Thursday as she took down home favorite Destanee Aiava 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 in front of a raucous crowd.
The American was booed and jeered during the match and responded by cupping her ear and blowing kisses towards the crowd after securing the victory.
As she made her way back the chair, Collins continued to blow kisses in all directions before kissing her hand and slapping her buttocks.
Despite the hostilities towards her, the No. 10 seed said she “loved” playing in that atmosphere.
“I’ve been doing this my whole life and I love playing in a crowd that has energy, regardless of what side they’re on,” Collins told reporters. “I’m somebody, too, that it just motivates me even more so it’s kind of a good thing, especially when I’m not playing that well.
“So I think it really helped me in the end and just helped me concentrate more, and challenged me at times, and just pushed me through the finish line.
“I was really happy in the end when I finally got momentum. I was like: ‘Well, if I’m going to be out here for two and a half hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well just take the bigger paycheck. I was super happy to do that.”
Collins added that there were “a lot of people that were super drunk,” which she thought further contributed to a boisterous atmosphere.
The 31-year-old was also booed throughout her on-court interview after beating Australia’s Aiava, the world No. 165 who came through qualifying, but continued to egg the crowd on.
“You know I was thinking during the match,” she said to the crowd, “I was like: ‘Hmm, if I’m out here I might as well just take that big fat paycheck. We love a five-star vacation, so part of that check is going towards that.
“So thank you guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight,” she added to another loud chorus of boos.
Collins will receive 290,000 Australian dollars ($180,000) for reaching the third round and joked that it’s “all going towards the Danielle Collins fund.”
She added: “One of the greatest things about being a professional athlete is that the people that don’t like you and the people that hate you, they actually pay your bills.”
“It’s kind of a cool concept. My professional career is not going to last forever so I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff (the crowd against her) they’re paying my bills.
“Me and my group of girlfriends, we love a five-star vacation. I can guarantee you that check is going towards our next five-star trip, hopefully to the Bahamas.
“We like boats, we like big boats, we like yachts, so we’ll post about it and let you guys know how it goes.”
Collins, who postponed her retirement at the end of 2024, will face compatriot and No. 19 seed Madison Keys in the third round on Saturday.
The two-time NCAA champion originally retired due to a number of health issues, including rheumatoid arthritis and endometriosis, and her desire to start a family.
Novak Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, told reporters he was a “big fan” of how Collins responded after getting into his own back-and-forth with one particularly loud member of the crowd during his third-round win over Tomáš Macháč on Friday.
“I loved her response. I loved it. Everything she said on the court, off the court. Big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before. But now? Big fan. I love it,” the 37-year-old said.
“I heard some comments (from) people that she shouldn’t have said (this) or that. I think she handled it really well. I don’t think I would be that polite, and I know exactly the feeling. So I think she was funny, smart.
“Just a big fan of what she did. Big fan.”
On Friday at the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.
Osaka was leading 5-2 in the first set before she began struggling with another apparent abdominal injury, allowing Bencic to come back and take the set on a tie break.
Osaka, who also pulled out of the ASB Classic final in Auckland last week with an abdominal injury, received treatment during the match but was eventually forced to withdraw.
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