Despite barely competing on the WTA Tour, Destanee Aiava has made headlines on multiple occasions this season. The 26-year-old had first turned heads in February by announcing that she would be retiring at the end of the season. Then in June, it was revealed that she had switched her nationality from Australia to New Zealand. While this may be her final year on the tour, Aiava is not ready to leave on a dismal note.

Aiava triumphed at the W15 tournament in Brisbane, clinching her 11th ITF crown and her first since the W50 Brisbane in 2024. It was also quite a dominant campaign as she didn’t lose a set in the five matches that she played.

“First pro tournament since Jan, first pro title as a Kiwi,” she wrote on Instagram, highlighting how much the title win means to her.

Aiava had won her first match of the tournament without breaking a sweat. This was because her opponent, Roisin Gilheany, had to withdraw while Aiava was leading the first set 5-2.

The 26-year-old followed that up with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-0 victory over Ava Beck in the second round. Another one-sided 6-3, 6-1 victory over Tori Russell followed as Aiava reached the semifinals.

She would put in another strong performance in the semis, defeating Ya Yi Yang 6-2, 7-5. Aiava faced local hero Belle Thompson in the final. Though odds were stacked, she delivered when it mattered most. A comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win would see her comprehensively win the tournament.

This triumph is especially meaningful given her struggles in recent seasons. Having gone winless in 2025, the Brisbane title marks a return to form and could be the last trophy of her career, or perhaps the spark for more before she hangs up her racquet. Moreover, it’s her first as a Kiwi.

Aiava had taken the shocking decision after admitting that she had never really liked the sport and had seen it as a job instead. Another factor that led to her taking an early retirement is the racial and online abuse that she has suffered over the years.

“On court I’ve been called a ‘monkey’ and ‘transgender,'” she had told CLAY in an interview in February 2026. “I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed this sport. The only reason I enjoyed it was because of the good things that came with it. And for me personally, that’s not worth waking up every day and hating my job and basically living a lie. I’m getting hundreds of people coming up to me saying, ‘You must love it.’ Some days, honestly, I would have rather done anything else but hit on a tennis court.”

While Aiava may be done with tennis after the end of the ongoing season, she has already decided to switch to a new sport and is even preparing to play it professionally.

Destanee Aiava will make the switch to netball after leaving tennis for good

After announcing her retirement earlier this year, Aiava had revealed that she was preparing for a netball bib. Notably, netball is a very popular sport in Australia, especially among women.

“I actually have my first netball training session on Thursday night, which I’m so excited for,” she had shared on social media. “Super random for people who don’t know me, I know. My plan was always to find a team sport to play when I did finish. I always said if I wasn’t playing tennis as my sport, I would be playing netball.”

The sport has been in Aiava’s plans for a long time. She has always considered netball as an option and had thought about making the switch if things didn’t go as planned in tennis.

But if Aiava goes on to achieve even more success on the ITF circuit in the coming months, then who knows, maybe she will reverse her retirement and stick with tennis.