Saluting Maya: Joint's jumping again as Wimbledon looms
Teenage sensation Maya Joint has earned an epic, backs-to-the-wall maiden grass-court triumph at the Eastbourne International to give Australia's challenge at Wimbledon the perfect launch pad.
The remarkable US-born 19-year-old, who's been making a stratospheric rise in the sport since relocating to Queensland less than two years ago, saved four match points on her way to defeating fellow rising star Alexandra Eala in a pulsating tiebreak finale on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
It meant Joint became the first Australian player to win the women's title in the 50-year history of the British seaside event which has become the traditional curtain raiser for the grass-court grand slam which begins on Monday.
"It's been an amazing year, an amazing two years," beamed Joint at Devonshire Park, while saluting the Aussie coach Chris Mahony she credits for transforming her career.
"Thank you for everything you've done. You're a lifesaver," she told him on court.
The astonishing 6-4 1-6 7-6 (12-10) win rocketed Brisbane-based Joint, who only turned 19 in April, to No.41 in the world when she kicks off her maiden Wimbledon with a tough opener against Russian No.19 seed Liudmila Samsonova on Tuesday.
"I'm very happy right now, feeling very relieved as well. It was a very difficult match. In that third set, and I'm proud of myself for coming back and staying in the match, even though I'd lost about nine of the last 10 games," said Joint.
She had been 5-2 down, and almost out, in the final breaker, having to come up with fabulous defensive scrabbling to stay in contention as Eala came agonisingly close to becoming the Philippines' first ever WTA champion.
But the teenage daughter of former Sydney squash professional Michael Joint demonstrated real courage and calm in a terrific showdown which, after a nervy spell from both players as they both homed in on the title, really hit the heights in the youngest final since Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger in 1981.
For Eala, who's become a young heroine in the Philippines, it was all so crushing after Joint sealed the deal with a backhand cross-court winner that the 20-year-old ended in tears, with the Australian trying to console her that "we will definitely play in more finals".
Remarkably, Joint's run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open five weeks ago also came on the weekend before a grand slam, and she then got knocked out in the first round by Ajla Tomljanovic.
"It's really great preparation. I've got a lot of matches in before Wimbledon, and hopefully I can be in Wimbledon a little bit longer than I was in the French," said Joint.
"I think this time's a tiny bit different. I get one more day of rest, and I'll just detach myself a little bit more from the last match, and just focus on the match coming up.
"But I'm just really excited to get to London later today, and step into Wimby for the first time."
Of Samsonova, a tough customer who's reached the last-16 in three grand slams, Joint shrugged: "I haven't played her before, so I don't know too much about her.
"When I get to Wimbledon, I'll just take a walk around, have some strawberries and cream - I love strawberries and cream."
The news quickly spread to the youngster's friends and colleagues at Wimbledon 120km north of the seaside town, leaving Daria Kasatkina, who won the tournament last year before she switched her allegiance to Australia, delighted for her Eastbourne hitting partner.
"I practised with her before Eastbourne, and she actually had a little struggle playing on grass, and I could see she was a bit, let's say, depressed about the practice," revealed the woman who's Australia's No.1 ahead of Joint.
"But you already saw she won a title this year, and she's got great potential. She's also a very nice girl, hard-working girl. I mean, she's got everything - and I'm happy for her to having this success already so early."
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West Australian
40 minutes ago
- West Australian
Western Force star Dylan Pietsch hoping for British and Irish Lions rematch after superb showing in opener
Western Force star Dylan Pietsch is quick to acknowledge he loves the big games and accompanying huge arenas and massive moments under lights. After his impressive showing against the British and Irish Lions at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, it bodes well for the Wallabies. Wearing a jersey designed by Pietsch himself made specially for the one-off match, the Force were not done justice by the 54-7 scoreline but Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt will have liked what he saw from the winger. The 27 year-old will head east to link up with the rest of the Wallabies squad ahead of their clash with Fiji in Newcastle next Sunday and while Australia have a crowded outside back contingent, Pietsch made a strong case. Whether he was elevating and hanging in the air to steal away kicks for the hosts, or dragging desperate defenders across the gain-line, Pietsch was a constant headache for the tourists. 'I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin and I know what I've got, so I don't try to have that chip on my shoulder,' Pietsch said post-game. 'It was awesome, it's hard not to get up for that game. I love playing big games, and playing against the Lions, you're not going to get much bigger. 'When you come into the occasion, you can either kind of fold or lean into it and I always try to lean into it.' When Pietsch departed the match just after the hour mark, he led all comers for carries (11) and running metres (74). Force captain Nic White, who teed Pietsch to snaffle their opening kick restart of the game, labelled his teammate's game as 'outstanding'. 'Really good in the air. He's fun to kick to and he just wants the ball. He's a big body out there and caused some serious headaches,' White said. 'He really rose to the occasion. He's one of the guys that when we talk about really enjoying it out there, the big occasion, big crowd, playing against the best in the north, he just wanted it and it was infectious.' For Pietsch, his Force performance satiated his thirst for game time after he missed seven weeks with a 25cm tear in his quad in the second half of the season, only returning for the final match of the season against the Waratahs. 'I was just excited to play again and get the ball in hands and see what happened. It's big part of my game, as I try to be very physical and if you see that week in and week out, I'm doing my job right,' Pietsch said. But Pietsch is not ready to put the cue in the rack just yet, as he eyes up facing them in a green and gold jersey nexts. 'I'm just really excited that I played for the Force against the Lions and in the jersey of design is the best thing and I'm going to camp next week to prep the boys for the Fiji game,' he said. 'Playing the Lions is one of the biggest things, that was so fun out there, and to be able to potentially do it again is definitely a big thing.'
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Lions hold off on SOS despite latest scrumhalf injury
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times." British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has downplayed the need to send out a scrumhalf SOS despite Tomos Williams suffering a hamstring injury during Saturday's 54-7 win over the Western Force. Williams injured his left hamstring while acrobatically diving over for his second try of the night in the eight-tries-to-one romp over the Force. The 30-year-old was clearly in pain as he limped from the field in the 47th minute, putting the rest of his tour in doubt. Fellow scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park was unavailable for the match due to a recent glute injury, but it's hopeful he will be fit to tackle the Queensland Reds on Wednesday night. If there is any doubt on Gibson-Park, it would leave Alex Mitchell as the last No.9 standing at present. Scrumhalf Ben White is currently with the Scotland international side in New Zealand for a match against the Maori All Blacks, and could be called upon if needed. But Farrell played down the need to call in reinforcements just yet, expressing confidence in Gibson-Park's fitness, and saying he wants to wait longer to see the severity of Williams' injury. "Jamison's fit and ready to go, and has been training fully now for the best part of the week, so we're happy with that," Farrell said. "But you don't know until you know (about Williams' injury). "We have to let these things settle down and see what the outcome is, giving it a little bit of space. "We need to talk about that and assess that and make the right call for the group. We have our fingers crossed." One of the brightest points out of Saturday's game for the Lions was the performance of No.8 Henry Pollock, who looked every bit the future superstar he's being touted to become. Pollock's bullocking runs proved troublesome for the Force, and the 20-year-old showcased his creativity with a chip-and-chase that led to a second-half try to lock Joe McCarthy. "I thought he was brilliant," stand-in Lions captain Dan Sheehan said. "He does his own thing. He has his own way of playing. He's probably different to a lot of the forwards. "I enjoy that kind of rugby, off the cuff, see what's in front of you, and make it happen. "And with his sort of skill set and speed, he can, he can certainly make it happen." The Lions will head to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Farrell was happy with his team's performance against the Force, with the five-try blitz in the second half particularly impressive. But he is also well aware there are plenty of areas to improve. The Lions were dominated in the possession and territory stakes in the first half, and their more fancied scrum could only break even against the Force. The tourists also struggled with their kick-off receives, and lost Pollock on the stroke of half-time to a yellow card due to an accumulation of team infringements. "Our discipline for one," Farrell said when asked about areas to improve on. "You mentioned kick-offs there, so it's a good warning for us, isn't it? "I thought we got a bit lateral at times, not engaging enough, and tried to be too tidy attack-wise at times."
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Hensby on target for big birthday bash in Colorado
Australian Mark Hensby is on track to celebrate his 54th birthday in style, co-leading the US Senior Open with Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington with one round to play. The trio are tied at eight-under 202 in Colorado Springs. The New South Welshman's 68 on Sunday (AEST) included four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 9th, taking his total to 19 for the tournament. But his best look of all — a six-foot uphill attempt on No.18 that came as the course was still buzzing from a stunning Harrington birdie — fell far off to the right and he settled for par. Hensby is aiming to become just the second Aussie to win the event after Graham Marsh in 1997 and the first to win a senior major championship since Stewart Ginn at the 2002 Senior Players Championship. "Any time you play with two great players like that, it's definitely fun," said Hensby, who also had four bogeys in round three. "Didn't get off to the best start, but ... we all kind of made a few birdies there in a row and we started to get things going. "I just felt like I've just got to play my game and try and just do the best I can do all day and see what happens. "Fortunately, some things started to go my way, got a couple of nice breaks." Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th to salvage a floundering round. It capped a two-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over another tricky day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour. "We could've taken the day off," the Irishman said as he shook hands to wrap up a day of twists and turns. Harrington yanked his final tee shot into the rough left of the fairway and had no choice but to hack out over the lake and short of the green. But he turned a possible bogey into an unlikely birdie and guaranteed himself a spot in the final group. "I was very happy with the chip," said the 2022 champion, "and it was a big bonus that it went in." One shot behind sits Dane Thomas Bjorn, whose 66 matched the best round of the day. Steve Flesch (67) was next at four under and Steven Alker's 66 left him at three under, tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Paul Stankowski (67). Seven other Aussies in the field have some work to do to finish in the red. Rod Pampling (69) is even, Steve Allan (69) and Scott Hend (71) one over, Greg Chalmers (71) and Cameron Percy (70) three over, Stuart Appleby (73) four over and Richard Green (73) five over the card. With the AP. Australian Mark Hensby is on track to celebrate his 54th birthday in style, co-leading the US Senior Open with Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington with one round to play. The trio are tied at eight-under 202 in Colorado Springs. The New South Welshman's 68 on Sunday (AEST) included four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 9th, taking his total to 19 for the tournament. But his best look of all — a six-foot uphill attempt on No.18 that came as the course was still buzzing from a stunning Harrington birdie — fell far off to the right and he settled for par. Hensby is aiming to become just the second Aussie to win the event after Graham Marsh in 1997 and the first to win a senior major championship since Stewart Ginn at the 2002 Senior Players Championship. "Any time you play with two great players like that, it's definitely fun," said Hensby, who also had four bogeys in round three. "Didn't get off to the best start, but ... we all kind of made a few birdies there in a row and we started to get things going. "I just felt like I've just got to play my game and try and just do the best I can do all day and see what happens. "Fortunately, some things started to go my way, got a couple of nice breaks." Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th to salvage a floundering round. It capped a two-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over another tricky day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour. "We could've taken the day off," the Irishman said as he shook hands to wrap up a day of twists and turns. Harrington yanked his final tee shot into the rough left of the fairway and had no choice but to hack out over the lake and short of the green. But he turned a possible bogey into an unlikely birdie and guaranteed himself a spot in the final group. "I was very happy with the chip," said the 2022 champion, "and it was a big bonus that it went in." One shot behind sits Dane Thomas Bjorn, whose 66 matched the best round of the day. Steve Flesch (67) was next at four under and Steven Alker's 66 left him at three under, tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Paul Stankowski (67). Seven other Aussies in the field have some work to do to finish in the red. Rod Pampling (69) is even, Steve Allan (69) and Scott Hend (71) one over, Greg Chalmers (71) and Cameron Percy (70) three over, Stuart Appleby (73) four over and Richard Green (73) five over the card. With the AP. Australian Mark Hensby is on track to celebrate his 54th birthday in style, co-leading the US Senior Open with Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington with one round to play. The trio are tied at eight-under 202 in Colorado Springs. The New South Welshman's 68 on Sunday (AEST) included four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 9th, taking his total to 19 for the tournament. But his best look of all — a six-foot uphill attempt on No.18 that came as the course was still buzzing from a stunning Harrington birdie — fell far off to the right and he settled for par. Hensby is aiming to become just the second Aussie to win the event after Graham Marsh in 1997 and the first to win a senior major championship since Stewart Ginn at the 2002 Senior Players Championship. "Any time you play with two great players like that, it's definitely fun," said Hensby, who also had four bogeys in round three. "Didn't get off to the best start, but ... we all kind of made a few birdies there in a row and we started to get things going. "I just felt like I've just got to play my game and try and just do the best I can do all day and see what happens. "Fortunately, some things started to go my way, got a couple of nice breaks." Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th to salvage a floundering round. It capped a two-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over another tricky day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour. "We could've taken the day off," the Irishman said as he shook hands to wrap up a day of twists and turns. Harrington yanked his final tee shot into the rough left of the fairway and had no choice but to hack out over the lake and short of the green. But he turned a possible bogey into an unlikely birdie and guaranteed himself a spot in the final group. "I was very happy with the chip," said the 2022 champion, "and it was a big bonus that it went in." One shot behind sits Dane Thomas Bjorn, whose 66 matched the best round of the day. Steve Flesch (67) was next at four under and Steven Alker's 66 left him at three under, tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Paul Stankowski (67). Seven other Aussies in the field have some work to do to finish in the red. Rod Pampling (69) is even, Steve Allan (69) and Scott Hend (71) one over, Greg Chalmers (71) and Cameron Percy (70) three over, Stuart Appleby (73) four over and Richard Green (73) five over the card. With the AP. Australian Mark Hensby is on track to celebrate his 54th birthday in style, co-leading the US Senior Open with Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington with one round to play. The trio are tied at eight-under 202 in Colorado Springs. The New South Welshman's 68 on Sunday (AEST) included four birdies, along with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 9th, taking his total to 19 for the tournament. But his best look of all — a six-foot uphill attempt on No.18 that came as the course was still buzzing from a stunning Harrington birdie — fell far off to the right and he settled for par. Hensby is aiming to become just the second Aussie to win the event after Graham Marsh in 1997 and the first to win a senior major championship since Stewart Ginn at the 2002 Senior Players Championship. "Any time you play with two great players like that, it's definitely fun," said Hensby, who also had four bogeys in round three. "Didn't get off to the best start, but ... we all kind of made a few birdies there in a row and we started to get things going. "I just felt like I've just got to play my game and try and just do the best I can do all day and see what happens. "Fortunately, some things started to go my way, got a couple of nice breaks." Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th to salvage a floundering round. It capped a two-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over another tricky day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour. "We could've taken the day off," the Irishman said as he shook hands to wrap up a day of twists and turns. Harrington yanked his final tee shot into the rough left of the fairway and had no choice but to hack out over the lake and short of the green. But he turned a possible bogey into an unlikely birdie and guaranteed himself a spot in the final group. "I was very happy with the chip," said the 2022 champion, "and it was a big bonus that it went in." One shot behind sits Dane Thomas Bjorn, whose 66 matched the best round of the day. Steve Flesch (67) was next at four under and Steven Alker's 66 left him at three under, tied with Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Paul Stankowski (67). Seven other Aussies in the field have some work to do to finish in the red. Rod Pampling (69) is even, Steve Allan (69) and Scott Hend (71) one over, Greg Chalmers (71) and Cameron Percy (70) three over, Stuart Appleby (73) four over and Richard Green (73) five over the card. With the AP.
