The One True Winner of the Australian Open Is Quite Obviously This Cool Doll
The Australian Open is still going on, but the tennis competition already has a clear winner—Qai Qai.
Qai Qai is not a tennis upstart destined to be the next Naomi Osaka or Sloane Stephens or even the next Venus or Serena Williams. Instead, Qai Qai is a doll owned by Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., the daughter of Serena Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and she has become the talk of the Open thanks to a series of excellent, hilarious Instagram photos featuring the doll watching the tennis action from a prime spot at the Rod Laver Arena.
Qai Qai even come up at press conference Williams held after a match, where she explained why she chose the doll for her daughter. “I wanted her to have a black doll,” she said during a press conference. “Growing up, I didn’t have that many opportunities to have black dolls.” Adding, “I definitely want to always teach her love and teach her just basic human — humans should always have love for each other, no matter what color they are.”
Qai Qai has already amassed over 91,000 followers on Instagram on the account, Real Qai Qai. One shot shows the doll on the sideline standing in a chair with her own name emblazoned on the back as Williams waits for a ball.
this is gonna be a fun season.
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Dec 28, 2018 at 10:41am PST
Anther shows Qai Qai cheering on Williams in a doubles match, with Qai Qai
what’s better than one ????? two
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 2, 2019 at 8:39am PST
In another photo, the doll asks Off-White designer Virgil Abloh, who has designed uniforms for Williams, to send her a pair of shoes in her side. “These shoes are too big to fill,” the caption read. “Please send smaller size addressed to ‘QAI QAI’.”
these shoes are too big to fill. @virgilabloh please send smaller size addressed to “QAI QAI”’
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 4, 2019 at 10:14am PST
Another features the doll courtside, arms raised, as Williams readies a serve.
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 15, 2019 at 1:54pm PST
Someone even let Qai Qai behind the camera at the Melbourne stadium, with the doll asking in the caption, “Anyone know how this thing works?”
anyone know how this thing works? ????
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 10, 2019 at 5:50pm PST
anyone know how this thing works? ????
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 10, 2019 at 5:50pm PST
A post shared by Qai Qai (@realqaiqai) on Jan 15, 2019 at 1:54pm PST
As for who is posting the photos, Alexis’s father and Qai Qai’s grandad Ohanian seems to have admitted to being behind at least of the posts, but noted on Twitter that he “lost the login.”
"The page, operated by Reddit founder Ohanian..."
SMH. Fake News: I created the account, made the first posts, but I lost the login a little while ago... https://t.co/QO6KYrpzfu— Alexis Ohanian Sr. ???? (@alexisohanian) January 16, 2019
