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Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tomljanovic owns the Joint amid Aussie Paris hat-trick
As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got "angry" and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: "My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. "Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way." The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Daria Kasatkina prevails despite tough adversity from Katerina Siniakova 💪#RolandGarros — Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 26, 2025 Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. "To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match," said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a "nice feeling" to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. "I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important," said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a "brutal season" during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. "The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping," lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left "down" by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years.
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Tomljanovic owns the Joint amid Aussie Paris hat-trick
As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got "angry" and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: "My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. "Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way." The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. "To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match," said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a "nice feeling" to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. "I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important," said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a "brutal season" during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. "The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping," lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left "down" by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years. As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got "angry" and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: "My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. "Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way." The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. "To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match," said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a "nice feeling" to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. "I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important," said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a "brutal season" during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. "The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping," lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left "down" by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years. As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got "angry" and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: "My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. "Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way." The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. "To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match," said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a "nice feeling" to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. "I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important," said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a "brutal season" during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. "The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping," lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left "down" by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years. As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got "angry" and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. The 19-year-old Queenslander, who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: "My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. "Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way." The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. "To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match," said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a "nice feeling" to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. "I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important," said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a "brutal season" during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. "The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping," lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left "down" by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years.
7NEWS
26-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Ajla Tomljanovic gets ‘angry' to beat Maya Joint in all-Aussie rematch at French Open
As if stung by all the hoopla over the country's newest tennis star Maya Joint, the evergreen Ajla Tomljanovic got 'angry' and reminded Australia of her own enduring quality as she handed a lesson to her teenage pal at the French Open. On a day when Alexei Popyrin ended his Roland Garros drought and Daria Kasatkina savoured her first grand slam win under the Australian flag, the sight of three of the green-and-gold brigade powering into the second round even before Alex de Minaur makes his bow on Tuesday quite atoned for the miserable opening-day wipe-out. With nine in action on a manic Monday in Paris, there were inevitably casualties littered around the Aussies' perennial red tennis graveyard with Aleksandar Vukic, Chris O'Connell, Daria Saville, Kim Birrell and a battered Jordan Thompson all succumbing. But Tomljanovic, who at 32 looked as sharp as she's ever done, bucked the trend in outplaying the new teenage Morocco Open champion Joint 6-1 6-3. Joint, the 19-year-old Queenslander who had a whirlwind 72 hours while winning her first two WTA titles in singles and doubles in Morocco, beat Tomljanovic three days earlier in Rabat, when the former Australian No.1 pulled out when a set down to protect an abdominal concern. But the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist emerged a completely different proposition on Monday, switching to all-out attack against the French Open debutant on the faster Paris clay. Asked if she had a point to prove, Tomljanovic explained: 'My coach kind of gave me a really good pep talk - 'You've got to get angry, get determined' - and it really worked today. 'Maya had been playing so well, I had a few days to think about it and knew if I don't come out this way on the attack, it's going to be really tough. It's just nice to see everything pay off when I play the right way.' The victory sets up Tomljanovic with a glamour tie against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, the little Italian who's become a big favourite with the locals since reaching the final last year. Kastakina, playing her first slam since switching allegiance from Russia in March, had to work hard to subdue the world's top doubles player, Czech Katerina Siniakova, 6-1 3-6 6-2. 'To play my first grand slam under the Australian flag, it's big honour. Yeah, just feel super happy and proud to also win the first match,' said the former semi-finalist. Earlier, Popyrin ended his nightmare sequence at Roland Garros for his first opening-round win there in six years as he was in command against Yoshihito Nishioka until the doughty Japanese had to retire with an injured back while trailing 7-5 6-4 1-2. After Sunday's first-day wipe-out with all three Australians exiting, Popyrin reckoned it was a 'nice feeling' to break the duck for the 16-strong green-and-gold contingent, the biggest at Roland Garros for 35 years. 'I feel like my game is starting to come back to me, the results are starting to show a bit more, there's more consistency and match wins every week. That's really important,' said the 25th seed, who tackles another left-hander, Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, next. Thompson bemoaned another blip in a 'brutal season' during which he's suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his foot, a torn oblique and a groin injury as he was hammered 6-4 6-2 6-1 by rising Czech Jiri Lehecka. 'The only positive from today is the body got through unscathed, but I guess that's because I copped a whipping,' lamented the 31-year-old. Seeded opponents proved too much for O'Connell, beaten 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) by the No.22 Ugo Humbert, Vukic, defeated 6-4 6-4 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov, and qualifier Saville, who was outclassed 6-2 6-1 by Australian Open champ Madison Keys. Gold Coast's Birrell also found the in-form Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, beaten by Joint in the Rabat final, in a different league in a 6-1 6-0 hammering. Thompson also revealed Nick Kyrgios had been left 'down' by having to withdraw from his planned return with his mate in the men's doubles, ending the prospect of the former Wimbledon finalist's first competitive Roland Garros outing for eight years.
The Advertiser
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Grim Aussie start but Joint venture lifts Paris gloom
Australia's newest tennis champ Maya Joint has breezed into Paris with a giggle, a slight air of disbelief but the unshakeable confidence of a fearless teen who quite fancies the idea of shocking everyone again with her first deep run at a grand slam. And the sight of the freshly minted 19-year-old Morocco Open champ excitedly taking a first hit on the Roland Garros clay on Sunday after a "crazy" couple of days when she won her first two WTA titles, in singles and doubles, felt just the pick-me-up the Aussies needed after a gloomy opening day wipe-out at the French Open. Wildcards Destanee Aiava, and Tristan Schoolkate both succumbed in straight sets on Sunday to hardened claycourt denizens while Rinky Hijikata's attempt at playing David to the giant American Reilly Opelka's Goliath didn't play to script either. But the good news? There'll be one Australian winner at least on Monday with Joint facing Ajla Tomljanovic, the battle-hardened former No.1 who the youngster has long looked up to. Yet though Joint cut a shy figure, sounding still a little amazed at what she's just achieved, it didn't stop her musing confidently here on Sunday: "I've definitely gained a lot of confidence from Rabat. Yeah, I think I can do well this week." There's been nothing bashful about her performances on court. Inscrutable behind her tinted shades, she displays the crisp hitting and clear thinking of a ruthless tennis veteran. She looks and sounds like a teen, just doesn't play like one. "It's really exciting. I was here once before for a junior doubles match but I never played in junior singles, I lost in quallies," she beamed after jetting in on Sunday. "I was thinking about Paris all last week, even when I was winning in Rabat.' Playing her mate's not ideal, though. "We've trained together quite a bit, travelled together and we're good friends, so it'll definitely be a difficult match, but a good match," she said of the clash with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior. There are comparisons between the pair's introduction to Australian tennis. Tomljanovic switched her allegiance from Croatia to take advantage of the support of Tennis Australia over a decade ago and so has the US born-and-raised Joint, who's flourished since moving to Queensland. "Ajla's definitely given me a lot of advice and guidance," said Joint. "She's been really helpful to me, and I'm really lucky to have her as a friend. So, it's definitely gonna be difficult, but I'm excited. She's someone I've looked up to." On Thursday, Tomljanovic was a set down in Rabat when she withdrew to protect an abdominal complaint, but Joint's the favourite, really at home on the clay. Indeed, could she be that rarest of things - an Australian natural clay-courter? "Maybe," laughed the daughter of an Aussie dad and German mum. "I really enjoy clay. My grandparents live in Germany, so I went over there a lot in the summers and trained on the surface, so I'm pretty comfortable on it." More comfortable than the two Aussie wildcards on their French Open debuts, with Aiava succumbing 7-5 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Schoolkate losing 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But Hijikata, who feels he's improved a lot on the surface, was left frustrated at going down to the tour's biggest man, the 2.11m, 102kg Opelka, 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3). AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN (Prefix denotes seeding) WOMEN (17) Daria Kasatkina v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) Kim Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian (ROM) Ajla Tomljanovic v Maya Joint Daria Saville v (7) Madison Keys (USA) MEN (25) Alexei Popyrin v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Jordan Thompson v Jiri Lehecka (CZE) Aleksandar Vukic v (24) Karen Khachanov (RUS) Christopher O'Connell v (22) Ugo Humbert (FRA) Australia's newest tennis champ Maya Joint has breezed into Paris with a giggle, a slight air of disbelief but the unshakeable confidence of a fearless teen who quite fancies the idea of shocking everyone again with her first deep run at a grand slam. And the sight of the freshly minted 19-year-old Morocco Open champ excitedly taking a first hit on the Roland Garros clay on Sunday after a "crazy" couple of days when she won her first two WTA titles, in singles and doubles, felt just the pick-me-up the Aussies needed after a gloomy opening day wipe-out at the French Open. Wildcards Destanee Aiava, and Tristan Schoolkate both succumbed in straight sets on Sunday to hardened claycourt denizens while Rinky Hijikata's attempt at playing David to the giant American Reilly Opelka's Goliath didn't play to script either. But the good news? There'll be one Australian winner at least on Monday with Joint facing Ajla Tomljanovic, the battle-hardened former No.1 who the youngster has long looked up to. Yet though Joint cut a shy figure, sounding still a little amazed at what she's just achieved, it didn't stop her musing confidently here on Sunday: "I've definitely gained a lot of confidence from Rabat. Yeah, I think I can do well this week." There's been nothing bashful about her performances on court. Inscrutable behind her tinted shades, she displays the crisp hitting and clear thinking of a ruthless tennis veteran. She looks and sounds like a teen, just doesn't play like one. "It's really exciting. I was here once before for a junior doubles match but I never played in junior singles, I lost in quallies," she beamed after jetting in on Sunday. "I was thinking about Paris all last week, even when I was winning in Rabat.' Playing her mate's not ideal, though. "We've trained together quite a bit, travelled together and we're good friends, so it'll definitely be a difficult match, but a good match," she said of the clash with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior. There are comparisons between the pair's introduction to Australian tennis. Tomljanovic switched her allegiance from Croatia to take advantage of the support of Tennis Australia over a decade ago and so has the US born-and-raised Joint, who's flourished since moving to Queensland. "Ajla's definitely given me a lot of advice and guidance," said Joint. "She's been really helpful to me, and I'm really lucky to have her as a friend. So, it's definitely gonna be difficult, but I'm excited. She's someone I've looked up to." On Thursday, Tomljanovic was a set down in Rabat when she withdrew to protect an abdominal complaint, but Joint's the favourite, really at home on the clay. Indeed, could she be that rarest of things - an Australian natural clay-courter? "Maybe," laughed the daughter of an Aussie dad and German mum. "I really enjoy clay. My grandparents live in Germany, so I went over there a lot in the summers and trained on the surface, so I'm pretty comfortable on it." More comfortable than the two Aussie wildcards on their French Open debuts, with Aiava succumbing 7-5 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Schoolkate losing 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But Hijikata, who feels he's improved a lot on the surface, was left frustrated at going down to the tour's biggest man, the 2.11m, 102kg Opelka, 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3). AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN (Prefix denotes seeding) WOMEN (17) Daria Kasatkina v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) Kim Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian (ROM) Ajla Tomljanovic v Maya Joint Daria Saville v (7) Madison Keys (USA) MEN (25) Alexei Popyrin v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Jordan Thompson v Jiri Lehecka (CZE) Aleksandar Vukic v (24) Karen Khachanov (RUS) Christopher O'Connell v (22) Ugo Humbert (FRA) Australia's newest tennis champ Maya Joint has breezed into Paris with a giggle, a slight air of disbelief but the unshakeable confidence of a fearless teen who quite fancies the idea of shocking everyone again with her first deep run at a grand slam. And the sight of the freshly minted 19-year-old Morocco Open champ excitedly taking a first hit on the Roland Garros clay on Sunday after a "crazy" couple of days when she won her first two WTA titles, in singles and doubles, felt just the pick-me-up the Aussies needed after a gloomy opening day wipe-out at the French Open. Wildcards Destanee Aiava, and Tristan Schoolkate both succumbed in straight sets on Sunday to hardened claycourt denizens while Rinky Hijikata's attempt at playing David to the giant American Reilly Opelka's Goliath didn't play to script either. But the good news? There'll be one Australian winner at least on Monday with Joint facing Ajla Tomljanovic, the battle-hardened former No.1 who the youngster has long looked up to. Yet though Joint cut a shy figure, sounding still a little amazed at what she's just achieved, it didn't stop her musing confidently here on Sunday: "I've definitely gained a lot of confidence from Rabat. Yeah, I think I can do well this week." There's been nothing bashful about her performances on court. Inscrutable behind her tinted shades, she displays the crisp hitting and clear thinking of a ruthless tennis veteran. She looks and sounds like a teen, just doesn't play like one. "It's really exciting. I was here once before for a junior doubles match but I never played in junior singles, I lost in quallies," she beamed after jetting in on Sunday. "I was thinking about Paris all last week, even when I was winning in Rabat.' Playing her mate's not ideal, though. "We've trained together quite a bit, travelled together and we're good friends, so it'll definitely be a difficult match, but a good match," she said of the clash with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior. There are comparisons between the pair's introduction to Australian tennis. Tomljanovic switched her allegiance from Croatia to take advantage of the support of Tennis Australia over a decade ago and so has the US born-and-raised Joint, who's flourished since moving to Queensland. "Ajla's definitely given me a lot of advice and guidance," said Joint. "She's been really helpful to me, and I'm really lucky to have her as a friend. So, it's definitely gonna be difficult, but I'm excited. She's someone I've looked up to." On Thursday, Tomljanovic was a set down in Rabat when she withdrew to protect an abdominal complaint, but Joint's the favourite, really at home on the clay. Indeed, could she be that rarest of things - an Australian natural clay-courter? "Maybe," laughed the daughter of an Aussie dad and German mum. "I really enjoy clay. My grandparents live in Germany, so I went over there a lot in the summers and trained on the surface, so I'm pretty comfortable on it." More comfortable than the two Aussie wildcards on their French Open debuts, with Aiava succumbing 7-5 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Schoolkate losing 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But Hijikata, who feels he's improved a lot on the surface, was left frustrated at going down to the tour's biggest man, the 2.11m, 102kg Opelka, 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3). AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN (Prefix denotes seeding) WOMEN (17) Daria Kasatkina v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) Kim Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian (ROM) Ajla Tomljanovic v Maya Joint Daria Saville v (7) Madison Keys (USA) MEN (25) Alexei Popyrin v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Jordan Thompson v Jiri Lehecka (CZE) Aleksandar Vukic v (24) Karen Khachanov (RUS) Christopher O'Connell v (22) Ugo Humbert (FRA) Australia's newest tennis champ Maya Joint has breezed into Paris with a giggle, a slight air of disbelief but the unshakeable confidence of a fearless teen who quite fancies the idea of shocking everyone again with her first deep run at a grand slam. And the sight of the freshly minted 19-year-old Morocco Open champ excitedly taking a first hit on the Roland Garros clay on Sunday after a "crazy" couple of days when she won her first two WTA titles, in singles and doubles, felt just the pick-me-up the Aussies needed after a gloomy opening day wipe-out at the French Open. Wildcards Destanee Aiava, and Tristan Schoolkate both succumbed in straight sets on Sunday to hardened claycourt denizens while Rinky Hijikata's attempt at playing David to the giant American Reilly Opelka's Goliath didn't play to script either. But the good news? There'll be one Australian winner at least on Monday with Joint facing Ajla Tomljanovic, the battle-hardened former No.1 who the youngster has long looked up to. Yet though Joint cut a shy figure, sounding still a little amazed at what she's just achieved, it didn't stop her musing confidently here on Sunday: "I've definitely gained a lot of confidence from Rabat. Yeah, I think I can do well this week." There's been nothing bashful about her performances on court. Inscrutable behind her tinted shades, she displays the crisp hitting and clear thinking of a ruthless tennis veteran. She looks and sounds like a teen, just doesn't play like one. "It's really exciting. I was here once before for a junior doubles match but I never played in junior singles, I lost in quallies," she beamed after jetting in on Sunday. "I was thinking about Paris all last week, even when I was winning in Rabat.' Playing her mate's not ideal, though. "We've trained together quite a bit, travelled together and we're good friends, so it'll definitely be a difficult match, but a good match," she said of the clash with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior. There are comparisons between the pair's introduction to Australian tennis. Tomljanovic switched her allegiance from Croatia to take advantage of the support of Tennis Australia over a decade ago and so has the US born-and-raised Joint, who's flourished since moving to Queensland. "Ajla's definitely given me a lot of advice and guidance," said Joint. "She's been really helpful to me, and I'm really lucky to have her as a friend. So, it's definitely gonna be difficult, but I'm excited. She's someone I've looked up to." On Thursday, Tomljanovic was a set down in Rabat when she withdrew to protect an abdominal complaint, but Joint's the favourite, really at home on the clay. Indeed, could she be that rarest of things - an Australian natural clay-courter? "Maybe," laughed the daughter of an Aussie dad and German mum. "I really enjoy clay. My grandparents live in Germany, so I went over there a lot in the summers and trained on the surface, so I'm pretty comfortable on it." More comfortable than the two Aussie wildcards on their French Open debuts, with Aiava succumbing 7-5 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Schoolkate losing 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But Hijikata, who feels he's improved a lot on the surface, was left frustrated at going down to the tour's biggest man, the 2.11m, 102kg Opelka, 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3). AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN (Prefix denotes seeding) WOMEN (17) Daria Kasatkina v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) Kim Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian (ROM) Ajla Tomljanovic v Maya Joint Daria Saville v (7) Madison Keys (USA) MEN (25) Alexei Popyrin v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Jordan Thompson v Jiri Lehecka (CZE) Aleksandar Vukic v (24) Karen Khachanov (RUS) Christopher O'Connell v (22) Ugo Humbert (FRA)
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grim Aussie start but Joint venture lifts Paris gloom
Australia's newest tennis champ Maya Joint has breezed into Paris with a giggle, a slight air of disbelief but the unshakeable confidence of a fearless teen who quite fancies the idea of shocking everyone again with her first deep run at a grand slam. And the sight of the freshly minted 19-year-old Morocco Open champ excitedly taking a first hit on the Roland Garros clay on Sunday after a "crazy" couple of days when she won her first two WTA titles, in singles and doubles, felt just the pick-me-up the Aussies needed after a gloomy opening day wipe-out at the French Open. Wildcards Destanee Aiava, and Tristan Schoolkate both succumbed in straight sets on Sunday to hardened claycourt denizens while Rinky Hijikata's attempt at playing David to the giant American Reilly Opelka's Goliath didn't play to script either. But the good news? There'll be one Australian winner at least on Monday with Joint facing Ajla Tomljanovic, the battle-hardened former No.1 who the youngster has long looked up to. Yet though Joint cut a shy figure, sounding still a little amazed at what she's just achieved, it didn't stop her musing confidently here on Sunday: "I've definitely gained a lot of confidence from Rabat. Yeah, I think I can do well this week." There's been nothing bashful about her performances on court. Inscrutable behind her tinted shades, she displays the crisp hitting and clear thinking of a ruthless tennis veteran. She looks and sounds like a teen, just doesn't play like one. "It's really exciting. I was here once before for a junior doubles match but I never played in junior singles, I lost in quallies," she beamed after jetting in on Sunday. "I was thinking about Paris all last week, even when I was winning in Rabat.' Playing her mate's not ideal, though. "We've trained together quite a bit, travelled together and we're good friends, so it'll definitely be a difficult match, but a good match," she said of the clash with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior. There are comparisons between the pair's introduction to Australian tennis. Tomljanovic switched her allegiance from Croatia to take advantage of the support of Tennis Australia over a decade ago and so has the US born-and-raised Joint, who's flourished since moving to Queensland. "Ajla's definitely given me a lot of advice and guidance," said Joint. "She's been really helpful to me, and I'm really lucky to have her as a friend. So, it's definitely gonna be difficult, but I'm excited. She's someone I've looked up to." On Thursday, Tomljanovic was a set down in Rabat when she withdrew to protect an abdominal complaint, but Joint's the favourite, really at home on the clay. Indeed, could she be that rarest of things - an Australian natural clay-courter? "Maybe," laughed the daughter of an Aussie dad and German mum. "I really enjoy clay. My grandparents live in Germany, so I went over there a lot in the summers and trained on the surface, so I'm pretty comfortable on it." More comfortable than the two Aussie wildcards on their French Open debuts, with Aiava succumbing 7-5 6-1 to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Schoolkate losing 6-4 6-2 6-2 to Hungarian Marton Fucsovics. But Hijikata, who feels he's improved a lot on the surface, was left frustrated at going down to the tour's biggest man, the 2.11m, 102kg Opelka, 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3). AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION ON DAY TWO OF THE FRENCH OPEN (Prefix denotes seeding) WOMEN (17) Daria Kasatkina v Katerina Siniakova (CZE) Kim Birrell v Jaqueline Cristian (ROM) Ajla Tomljanovic v Maya Joint Daria Saville v (7) Madison Keys (USA) MEN (25) Alexei Popyrin v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) Jordan Thompson v Jiri Lehecka (CZE) Aleksandar Vukic v (24) Karen Khachanov (RUS) Christopher O'Connell v (22) Ugo Humbert (FRA)
