Latest news with #OksanaKalashnikova
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australian 19-year-old Maya Joint wins first WTA title ahead of French Open
Australian tennis has been given a major boost on the eve of the French Open after Maya Joint was crowned a WTA tour title winner in Morocco at the age of just 19. Joint collapsed to the clay in joy in Rabat on Saturdayafter outplaying Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 6-3, 6-2 in the Morocco Open final. As she prepared to fly off to Paris on Sunday to try to create more waves in her maiden French Open appearance, Joint beamed: 'I'm really excited that I was able to win a title here, and hopefully it'll be the first of many.' Joint's startling progress has delighted her 15 Australian colleagues who are already in Paris, with Alex de Minaur telling AAP: 'Maya's playing with a lot of confidence, and it's great to see. 'And as Aussies, there's nothing we love more than other Aussies doing well, so that's obviously very important, definitely brings up the morale and competitive juices of all the other teammates to keep on pushing for bigger and better things.' It was a rip-roaring display from the US-born daughter of an Australian father and German mother who has rocketed through the rankings in just 18 months since basing herself in Queensland. And it was the culmination of an extraordinary week in which she didn't drop a single set throughout the singles competition while also taking her maiden doubles title with Georgian Oksana Kalashnikova. 'Must be something about Morocco,' she said on court after the tough, breezy conditions and heat made it a test for both finalists. 'It's been an amazing week. The conditions really tested both of us.' Now it gets really interesting for the new champion as she faces a first-round encounter on Monday against fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, who retired with an abdominal concern after losing the first set of their semi-final on Friday. 'Going to the French with this win under my belt gives me a lot of confidence,' she said. 'My game's improved so much over the past year and being able to play my first French Open is really exciting. I can't wait to get there.' Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion Of her rematch with Tomljanovic, 13 years her senior, she added: 'It'll be a good match. It's always difficult to play another Aussie and and a friend, but we're both professionals, we'll be able to figure it out.' The win will rocket Joint up to 53rd in the WTA rankings – now firmly ensconced as Australia's No 2 behind Daria Kasatkina – which represents an astounding leap from where she started last year, at No 684. 'It's really weird to think back to a year ago, to where I was and where I am now. But I've done a lot of hard work to get here and I've just got to keep going,' she said. The Australian challenge will get under way on the opening day at Roland Garros on Sunday with wildcards Destanee Aiava and Tristan Schoolkate getting their first shot at Paris main draw action, while Rinky Hijikata will be out to reach the second round for the first time.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Maya Joint reaches first WTA final in French Open tune-up in Morocco
Teenager Maya Joint's remarkable rise has scaled a new peak with the brilliant young Australian prospect reaching her first WTA final in Morocco, just days before making her French Open debut. In what was seen as a clay-court dress rehearsal after the Australian pair had also been drawn to meet each other in the first round at Roland Garros, 19-year-old Joint came out on top in her last-four encounter with Ajla Tomljanovic at the Morocco Open in Rabat on Friday. Joint was just beginning to assert her authority in the match by taking the first set 6-4 but world No 79 Tomljanovic's withdrawal at the end of the stanza still came as a surprise to her opponent and the crowd. It gives Joint the chance of two maiden trophies as she later on Friday went on to claim her first doubles crown alongside Georgian Oksana Kalashnikova as they beat the Italian pair Angelica Moratelli and Camilla Rosatello 6-3 7-5. 'I mean, it's never the way you want to win, Ajla's a good friend,' said Joint, after defeating her Billie Jean King Cup teammate in the singles. 'But we we play each other first round in Roland Garros next week, so we'll be able to try this again – but I hope that she can get better quickly. 'It's very difficult [playing against a fellow Australian]. I was definitely feeling a bit nervous having to play her, but we're both professionals. We both have good game styles, so I knew it'd be a good match, competitive. 'I started off pretty well, really feeling my shots, and she was coming back and testing me, but I'm glad that I was able to pull it out in the end of the set.' It was a generation game largely played on Joint's racquet over the 39 minutes as the youngster dominated the early stages against the experienced 32-year-old, moving into a 3-0 lead for the loss of just two points with her crisp forehand proving hugely effective. Tomljanovic roared back to level the scores but folded near the end of the set as Joint applied the pressure, grabbing a set point from the older player's poorly-executed drop shot and then sealing the stanza with a fine service return that her opponent couldn't retrieve. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion It's another milestone for the American-born, Brisbane-based Joint, who threw in her lot with her squash-playing dad's home country of Australia a couple of years ago and has risen inexorably, now to the verge of the world's top 50. There is only one other teenager in the world's top 100 ranked higher than Joint – 18-year-old Russian phenomenon Mirra Andreeva. Joint was 684 in the world at the start of last year, rose to 116 throughout 2024 and, having now come through her second WTA semi-final with a win, she's guaranteed to be No 60 next week or even as high as 53 if she can beats Jaqueline Cristian in Saturday's final. Romanian No 1 Cristian defeated Colombia's Camila Osorio 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-4 in the other semi.
