Former Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, on Thursday, took a leaf out of former WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan as he brutally taunted the Melbourne crowd after her second-round win against Australian qualifier Destine Aiava. The 10th-seed American beat the youngster 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2 in a three-set epic at Show Court Arena.

With an Aussie on the court, the home crowd were completely behind Aiava, especially as she bounced back from a set down to force a deciding third in the match. This led to Collins incurring a hostile environment in the tournament where she had made the final back in 2022, en route to which she defeated Iga Swiatek in straight sets, before going down to former world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the summit clash.

At one point in the match, an agitated Collins told the crowd to “shut up” after she was cheered following a double fault.

However, she had the last laugh over the crowd after claiming a win to make the third round. When she won the tie, she cupped her ear and blew kisses as Collins brutally taunted the Melbourne crowd and repeated the phrase, “How about that?!”. Boos from the spectators followed this as she shook the hand of Aiava and the chair umpire as her antics continued. She then flaunted her third-round payday in a bizarre on-court interview.

“I might just take that big fat pay cheque,” Collins said as the books continued. “Coco (Gauff) and I love, we love a good five-star vacation. So part of that cheque, is going to go towards that.

“So thank you guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight.”

After speaking briefly about her next opponent — another American, No. 19 Madison Keys, who reached the final of the 2017 U.S. Open — Collins turned her attention back to the crowd and said, “Thanks, everyone. Thank you, guys. Love ya!”