Latest news with #PriscillaHon
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australia to send strongest contingent for 30 years to Wimbledon
Four more of Australians have qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw at next week's championships – the biggest Aussie contingent for 30 years. While Priscilla Hon and Talia Gibson both saved match points in final qualifying to earn their dream Wimbledon dates and Alex Bolt and James McCabe also booked their spots at windy Roehampton, teenage star Maya Joint sealed the stellar day by reaching the Eastbourne International semi-final. The only anti-climax was 16-year-old Emerson Jones missing out in her bold bid to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw at Wimbledon as she succumbed in her final-round qualifier. The results ensured there will be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Australians at the 1995 championships. The evergreen Bolt, a bit of a grass-court specialist having learned to play on the courts at his Murray Bridge home in South Australia, started the fun by beating the rain and one of the game's rising young stars, Spaniard Martin Landaluce, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. It ensured he reached back-to-back main draws at Wimbledon and a fourth in all. 'It's massive. I guess there's no secret that I'm closer to the end of my career than the start and as long as I'm fit and healthy, I feel like I can keep going,' he said. At the other end of the age scale, 21-year-old Gibson found herself 3-5, 30-40 down in the final set against Argentine 10th qualifying seed Solana Sierra before saving the match point and reeling off the next four games to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. That was as nothing, though, compared to Brisbane stalwart Hon, who had to save five match points on her serve at a set and 5-6 down against another of the game's new stars, Canadian Victoria Mboko, before she escaped to win the tiebreak and then powered past the deflated youngster in the decider. It was Hon's seventh time trying to qualify for Wimbledon and the 27-year-old was rewarded for her nous, staying more patient than her frustrated opponent as the wind swirled. The multi-talented 21-year-old McCabe, a former top junior swimmer and accomplished flautist, joined Hon and Gibson as Wimbledon debutants with his doughty 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7) victory over Chile's Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera. But the 16-year-old Gold Coast star Jones, the world's No 1 junior, couldn't join the party, beaten by Frenchwoman Diane Parry 6-2, 6-2, while Li Tu also missed out on the men's main draw, losing to crafty French veteran Adrian Mannarino 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. 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 Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Australian since former Wimbledon champion Barty made it back in 2012, could not adapt to the blustery conditions as well as her much more experienced opponent Parry, a 22-year-old who reached the third round at SW19 in 2022 as a teen. But she still has the chance to shoot for the junior title at Wimbledon where she reached the final last year. Meanwhile, in the big final Wimbledon warm-up at the Eastbourne International, 19-year-old Joint continued her rise with a tough 6-4, 7-5 quarter-final victory over experienced Russian Anna Blinkova, reaching her third semi of her rookie season, all on different surfaces. A grass-court novice, she is the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she will face former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the last four. Elsewhere, at the Boodles event at Stoke Park, north of London, Australia's top two men's players sharpened up by taking on each other in the invitation event, with Alex de Minaur earning the bragging rights over Alexei Popyrin with a 6-3, 6-4 win.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Quartet of winning Australians in qualifying boost Wimbledon main draw contingent to 17
The biggest Australian contingent in 30 years will contest Wimbledon after four more players came through qualifying to earn spots in the main draw, taking the total to 17. Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson, lex Bolt and James McCabe all booked their spots, Hon and Gibson surviving match points, to join the mass of Australians in the field. But 16-year-old rising star Emerson Jones failed at the final challenge as she sought to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw. Queenslander Hon was down 6-5, and then 0-40, in her clash with Canada's Victoria Mboko before mounting a stunning comeback to win. . 'Honestly, right now I'm pretty lost for words, especially when I didn't think I was going to win the match,' Hon explained. 'I definitely feel like I've gotten better in these situations and obviously played quite a few now and I've got the experience.' 7th attempt at #Wimbledon qualifying. 3rd time in the final round. Down 5 match points. This was more than just a win. See you at the All England Club for your main draw debut, @pribo98 ðŸ'� — TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) June 26, 2025 Hon saved five match points in her victory. 'Apparently, I was down five match points, but I only remember three of them. I was just trying to think point by point and somehow, I got the win,' she said. 'I served really well in that game (at 6-5) to come back, and that's what got me through.' Gibson also saved a match point at 5-3 in the third set before winning the next four games to progress to her first Wimbledon main draw. 'I'm still a little bit in shock but just incredibly, incredibly happy with my performance today and just to get through qualifying for the first time in a slam is a good feeling,' she said. 'I was really trying to visualise and put myself in the position to feel like this is something I could do this year. I'm lost for words and just incredibly happy that I could actually do it.' A dream come trueðŸ'šðŸ'› James McCabe and Talia Gibson have qualified for the #Wimbledon main draw for the first time in their careers. — TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) June 26, 2025 McCabe qualified for the Wimbledon main draw on his first try by taking down the No.5 seed Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera in four sets 'Before these last two weeks, I think I'd lost 11 tiebreaks in a row – so now it's going the right direction and I'm just glad it's coming together now,' McCabe said. 'It was just an absolute unreal experience.' As the Aussies triumphed at Wimbledon, 19-year-old Maya Joint also reached the semi-finals of the Eastbourne event with a straight-sets quarter-final win over Russian Anna Blinkova. It's Joint's third semi of her rookie season, all on different surfaces and now including grass ahead of Wimbledon beginning next week.
ABC News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Maya Joint advances to Eastbourne Open semifinals as Australians qualify for Wimbledon
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached the Eastbourne Open semifinals, while four of her compatriots booked spots in the Wimbledon main draws. Joint, 19, continued her amazing rise with a gritty 6-4, 7-5 quarterfinal victory over experienced Russian Anna Blinkova. The win gave Joint her third semifinal appearance of the season, with each coming on a different court surface. A grass-court novice, Joint is the first Australian to advance to the last four at the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event for 14 years. She will face former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semifinals. Seventeen Australians will feature in the respective women's and men's singles draws at Wimbledon, the largest contingent in 30 years. Priscilla Hon and Talia Gibson both saved match points in the final qualifying round to earn their Wimbledon berths. Alex Bolt and James McCabe also booked their spots at windy Roehampton. The only anti-climax was 16-year-old Emerson Jones missing out in her bold bid to become the youngest Australian player since Ash Barty to make the singles main draw at Wimbledon as she succumbed in her final-round qualifier. Jones, the world's number one junior, was beaten by Frenchwoman Diane Parry 6-2, 6-2. Li Tu missed out on the men's main draw, losing to crafty French veteran Adrian Mannarino 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Hon had to save five match points on her serve against Canadian Victoria Mboko, before prevailing 4-6, 7-6 (7/6), 6-1. It was Hon's seventh time attempting to qualify for Wimbledon. Gibson, 21, found herself 3-5, 30-40 down in the final set against Argentine 10th qualifying seed Solana Sierra before reeling off the next four games to win 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. The evergreen Bolt defeated Spaniard Martin Landaluce 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to ensure he reached back-to-back main draws at Wimbledon. The multi-talented McCabe, a former top junior swimmer and accomplished flautist, joined Hon and Gibson as Wimbledon debutants with his doughty 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (9/7) victory over Chile's Marcelo Tomás Barrios Vera. Wimbledon commences on Monday. AAP/ABC
