She stands as one of the great long-term hopes for Australian tennis, and now Maya Joint will face the sternest test of her credentials as a prospective champion.
The 18-year-old emerged victorious from her opening-round clash at the Brisbane International, conquering compatriot Maddison Inglis 6-3, 6-4 on Pat Rafter Arena.
Now, the world No.116 will clash with two-time grand slam victor Victoria Azarenka – the greatest challenge of her fledgling career – as she charts her path towards a maiden top-100 berth.
Maya Joint in action at the Brisbane International.Credit: Getty Images
Joint’s battle with Inglis had everything expected from a teenager finding her feet among the upper echelon.
There were flashes of brilliance on the court she has spent countless hours training on – several clinical forehands down the line a clear trademark.
There were also moments where her youth showed, conceding three straight games while leading 5-0 in the first set, courtesy of a series of unforced errors and missed opportunities when she appeared to have Inglis on her heels.
But pleasingly, she never retired her weapons, constantly searching for the line and working her rival around.
That mentality is something she will need to replicate against Azarenka on New Year’s Eve, with the world No.20 unlikely to be as forgiving of any mistakes.
But Joint said she would take heed from the last time she fought such a high-calibre opponent – her round-two US Open loss to Madison Keys – as she plotted a boilover.
“I’m really excited to play her. I’ll think back to my Madison Keys match – that was a great experience – and hopefully I can play well again.
“There were a lot of things I saw that I needed to improve in my own game to be competitive with those sorts of players.
“I had seen the draw beforehand, and it definitely motivated me to win this match more. I’m just excited to see how my game matches up against hers.”
It took just one grand slam victory for Joint to experience the wave of emotions that come off the tennis circuit – breakthrough elation followed by an immediate dilemma.
She emerged victorious in the opening round of the 2024 US Open against Laura Siegemund, before suffering a 6-4, 6-0 defeat to 14th seed Keys.
But as she was set to play for the University of Texas Longhorns, Joint was unable to claim the $A207,000 payday from that win under National Collegiate Athletics Association rules.
But Joint has persevered, having garnered a wildcard to the Australian Open in what will be her debut in the tournament’s main draw.
And she believes the foundations laid at the Brisbane International will determine how far she can go in Melbourne.
“This tournament is super important … and I’m glad I got a good win under my belt, so I’ll take confidence from that,” Joint said.
“I’m excited, it will be my first main draw Aussie Open, but I can take confidence from my US Open main draw win.”
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