Hobart, TAS, Australia, 9 January 2025 | Justin Chadwick (AAP)

Rising Aussie teenager Maya Joint has secured a shock semifinal berth at the Hobart International after outplaying Australian Open 2020 champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets.

Joint needed just 62 minutes to defeat Kenin 6-3 6-1 in Thursday’s quarterfinal showdown on centre court.

The 18-year-old Australian wildcard, who has never made it this far at a WTA event, will take on either second seed Elise Mertens or Veronika Kudermetova in the semifinals.

MAYA JOINT YOU'RE A SEMIFINALIST!! 🌟🇦🇺

The dream run continues for the Aussie teenager, reaching her first ever tour-level semifinal with a stunning 6-3 6-1 win over Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin.#HobartTennis pic.twitter.com/etmstrypNC

— Hobart International (@HobartTennis) January 9, 2025

“It’s crazy. I feel really good right now,” Joint said. “I’m just so excited to be in the semis. I can’t wait to play again.

“I played really well today. I think we had a good match. She definitely tested how low I could get. She hit the ball very flat.”

At world No.118, Joint is the sport’s second-highest ranked female teenager, behind only 17-year-old Russian world No.15 Mirra Andreeva.

Joint has dropped only 11 games across three matches at the Hobart International, beating world No.53 Olga Danilovic, world No.38 Magda Linette and former world No.4 Kenin along the way.

Her win against Kenin was the finest of the lot, with Joint striking 18 winners to 13 and converting five of her seven break-point chances.

Kenin committed a whopping 29 unforced errors in the windy conditions, almost double that of Joint (15).

Joint set the tone from the outset, snaring two early breaks to race out to a 5-1 lead in the space of 20 minutes.

A combination of some stunning winners from Joint and some poor unforced errors from Kenin led to the lopsided scoreline.

Kenin fought back with a break and a hold of her own, but Joint held her nerve to take the first set in 33 minutes.

After committing 14 unforced errors in the first set, Kenin’s error-riddled display continued in the second. Joint snared the early break, then saved a break point herself before breaking Kenin again to surge to a 5-1 lead.

Kenin’s spirit was broken by that stage, with Joint earning another break to wrap up the one-sided victory.