Keys beat Collins in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to knock her fellow American out of the competition.

She may have only won two matches at the event, but Collins’ reaction to the crowd during her second-round win certainly saw the 31-year-old leave her mark in Melbourne.

The WTA number 11 told fans that they ‘pay her bills’ after beating Destanee Aiava in round two.

As she entered the court for her third-round contest with Keys, Collins was booed by large sections of the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

Following the match, Keys gave her thoughts on how the crowd treated her opponent.

Madison Keys says she ‘expected’ the crowd to be against Danielle Collins during their match

Speaking after her big third-round win, Keys was asked for her thoughts on how the fans on Rod Laver Arena reacted to Collins.

“I think I kind of knew what it was going to be like going out there, but it was just, yeah, I think the crowd was pretty pro me and not for Danielle [Collins],” she said.

“I think they made that pretty clear from the start.

“I think I was glad, I was happy with myself just staying focused on myself and play some decent tennis.”

Keys was asked whether she thought the booing was ‘distasteful’, but again reiterated that she was focused on herself.

“Yeah, I think it was expected, and it was kind of everything that I anticipated,” she said.

“But, again, I think I was just really happy that I expected it, I was prepared for it.

“I just tried to take care of my side of the net.”

Collins gave a wry smile as she entered the court to a chorus of boos earlier on Saturday before she fell short against the former US Open finalist.

Is there a problem with the Australian Open crowds in 2025?

Collins may be at the forefront of crowd controversy at this year’s tournament, but she’s not the only player to have encountered issues.

Novak Djokovic was heckled at times during his third-round win over Tomas Machac, leaving him frustrated throughout.

He eventually came away with the win, although the crowd didn’t stop there as a spectator can be heard asking Djokovic to ‘marry him’ in his post-match interview.

“Sorry mate, I have a wife,” replied Djokovic.

“We can have a drink though, maybe you’ve had a few already.

“He and I were going back and forth for quite a while actually, since the beginning.

“I’m happy to have a drink with him now the match is over, we can reflect nicely on what we’ve said to each other during the match.”

Another player to have encountered trouble with the crowd at this year’s tournament was Jack Draper, who became quite the villain, after knocking out the Australian duo of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Vukic in rounds two and three.

Draper gave his thoughts on the crowd during his post-match press conference after his win over Kokkinakis, claiming that the abuse from the crowd gave him energy.

“Yeah, it was amazing, obviously, electric atmosphere,” he said.

“You know, obviously getting quite a lot of abuse from the crowd in between the serves the back of the court and all that sort of stuff.

“Sometimes you don’t want to sort of rile them or give it back, but to be fair, it gave me energy doing that.

“It is a bit of fun, I have a thick skin, it’s fun.”

It remains to be seen how the crowd will act during the remainder of the tournament, as Draper gets set to take on Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, January 19, with Djokovic playing Jiri Lehecka on the same day.

Related Topics