Daniel Collins is back with a packed crowd at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia – After Daniel Collins eliminated a local player at the Australian Open, kissing the crowd and repeating the phrase, “How about?!”

The 10th-seeded Collins, an American who was runner-up to Australia’s Ash Barty in the 2022 final, defeated Destani Iowa 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 in nearly 2 1/2 hours.

That’s when the fun began. First, the 31-year-old Collins — who originally planned to retire after last season but has decided to return to the tour in 2025 — held his hand to his left ear and looked into the stands at Kia Arena and said the three-word phrase a few times. Then, as the cheers grew louder, he began blowing kisses to the fans.

“The people who don’t like you, and the people who hate you, actually pay your bills. Obviously my professional career is not going to last forever,” Collins said at his press conference, noting that anyone who “comes in here is a ticket to make fun of me. bought, it all goes towards the Daniel Collins Fund.”

He said he planned to spend some of the money on a “five-star vacation” and noted that he and his friends “like boats; we like big boats; we like yachts.”

Earlier, when Collins began his post-match interview at the stadium, noise from the seats interrupted his first reply. So he paused and smiled, then said: “I was thinking during the match… As long as I’m here, I might as well take that big fat check.”

He added: “Thank you for coming out here tonight and supporting us.”

After briefly talking about her next opponent — another American, No. 19 Madison Keys, who reached the 2017 US Open final — Collins turned her attention to the crowd and closed by saying, “Thank you, everybody. Thank you, guys. Love you!”

Aiava is ranked only 195th and will have to go through the qualification round to earn a spot in the women’s bracket. But he gave Collins tough competition.

“I wasn’t too surprised the way Destani was playing,” Collins said. “I just… have to do what I can.”

Collins, who hails from Florida and played college tennis at Virginia, got into a post-match altercation with Iga Suatek at the Paris Olympics last August.

On courting outrage with paying customers, Collins said: “I love it. I’ve done this my whole life. I love playing (in front of) a crowd that has energy, no matter which side they’re on. It motivates me even more. .”