MELBOURNE -- Destanee Aiava, a 24-year-old Samoan-Australian tennis player, made waves at this year's Australian Open by advancing to the second round of the main draw -- a career-defining achievement that has inspired many women and children across the Pacific region. Among them is Daisy Rose Sipiti, a former youth tennis player turned coach and community leader from Vanuatu.
Tennis is slowly shedding its reputation as an elitist, European-only sport. But although it began expanding outside of those borders decades ago, its Pacific Island gains have been limited. No players of Pacific heritage are ranked in the top 100 in either the men's or women's circuits.
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