New York, USA, 27 August 2024 | Leigh Rogers

Maya Joint achieved a major career milestone at the US Open today, scoring her first Grand Slam main-draw singles win.

The 18-year-old Australian qualifier outclassed German Laura Siegemund, an experienced player double her age, to record a stunning 6-4 7-5 victory in opening-round action at Flushing Meadows.

“It’s incredible. I didn’t expect to come this far, I’m lost for words,” Joint told Stan Sport after the match. “I don’t know what to say, it feels great.”

From four-all in the opening set, Joint reeled off seven consecutive games to take control of the match. However, her emotional maturity was tested when Siegemund came charging back late in the second set.

“I got very nervous. I felt like my feet weren’t working. I felt like my legs were full of sand,” Joint said.

After squandering a 5-0 advantage, and a match point on the two-time US Open doubles champion’s serve at 5-4, Joint impressively found a way to close out the biggest win of her burgeoning Grand Slam career.

She steadied to hold and then broke Siegemund’s serve in the 12th game, clinching victory on her fourth match point.

“She definitely made me work for it,” said Joint, describing the match as “a battle”.

It continues a remarkable rise for Joint, who had a WTA Tour singles ranking of world No.1390 this time last year.

Now sitting at a career-high No.135, Joint is the highest-ranked 18-year-old in the world.

The promising athlete, who was born and raised in the American state of Michigan, switched allegiance to Australia, her father’s homeland, in mid-2023.

Joint relocated to Brisbane to train at Tennis Australia’s National Tennis Academy, where she has been guided by Chris Mahony.

She demonstrated her potential during the Australian summer earlier this year. As a wildcard she tallied four top-200 wins to reach a quarterfinal at a WTA 125 tournament in Canberra and then progressed to the final qualifying round at the Australian Open, where she extended eventual semifinalist Dayana Yastremska to three sets.

Since then, Joint has gone from strength-to-strength. She has recorded 53 wins on the professional tour and won two ITF singles titles so far this season.

Today’s victory against world No.92 Siegemund is her second career win against a top-100 opponent.

Joint, who lost in the opening round of the US Open girls’ singles competition last year, will soon turn her focus to playing US college tennis. She has committed to attending the University of Texas and plans to study psychology and criminology.

“I’m really interested in psychology, just because of the mind aspect of tennis and to see what I can do better,” Joint told tennis.com.au earlier this year. “And criminology just because I watch so many crime shows and listen to true-crime podcasts, which are so intriguing.”

But for now, she is hoping to extend her Grand Slam breakthrough when she faces 14^th-seeded American Madison Keys in the second round.

Aussies in action – US Open

RESULTS
Women’s singles, first round
[Q] Maya Joint (AUS) d Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-4 7-5
[24] Donna Vekic (CRO) d [Q] Kimberly Birrell (AUS) 6-4 6-4

Men’s singles, first round
[28] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) d Soonwoo Kwon (KOR) 7-5 6-2 6-3

> READ: Popyrin powers into second round at US Open 2024

COMING UP
Women’s singles, first round
Daria Saville (AUS) v [Q] Ena Shibahara (JPN)
[Q] Arina Rodionova (AUS) v Wang Xinyu (CHN)
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v [Q] Ann Li (USA)
[WC] Taylah Preston (AUS) v [25] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
[Q] Destanee Aiava (AUS) v [4] Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
[Q] Priscilla Hon (AUS) v [2] Aryna Sabalenka

Women’s singles, second round
[Q] Maya Joint (AUS) v [14] Madison Keys (USA)

> VIEW: US Open 2024 women’s singles draw

Men’s singles, first round
[10] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Marcos Giron (USA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Constant Lestienne (FRA)
Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
James Duckworth (AUS) v [31] Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v [11] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Chris O’Connell (AUS) v [26] Nicolas Jarry (CHI)
Max Purcell (AUS) v Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)
Adam Walton (AUS) v Alexandre Muller (FRA)
[Q] Li Tu (AUS) v [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
[WC] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) v Taro Daniel (JPN)

Men’s singles, second round
[28] Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v Pedro Martinez (ESP)

> VIEW: US Open 2024 men’s singles draw

> READ: Ten Australians to contest doubles at US Open 2024

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!