Aussie teen sensation Joint reaches Eastbourne final
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.
The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia's former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.
Joint now has the chance to go into next week's main draw at Wimbledon, where she'll face another Russian, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, with a maiden grass-court title under her belt.
The teenager, who was 5-3 down in the first set before taking control against the 33-year-old with her crisp hitting and sharp movement, was left astonished by her achievement.
"Super exciting. I think if you told me at the beginning of the week that I'd be in the final, I wouldn't believe you," said Joint.
"I've definitely learned to love grass this week.
In Saturday's final, she will face another of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 in the other semi.
It will be the youngest final at the event since two American teens, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger, did battle in the 1981 showdown at Devonshire Park.
For Joint, there are echoes of her run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open in May when her victory came just a couple of days before she was due to play in her first French Open outing.
If she wins the title in Eastbourne on Saturday, becoming the first ever Australian women's winner in the event's 50-year history, she will then dash straight to London 120km up the road from the seaside venue to prepare for her maiden Wimbledon, where she'll be ranked for the first time in the world's top 50.
"I can take confidence that I won it last time (in Rabat), and maybe I'll be a little bit less nervous this time, but I'm just really excited to come out here and play another final," she said.
"I'm super excited to play Alex, we're gonna have a great match. She's a really nice girl, and, yeah, we're looking forward to it."
Up to No.41 if she wins her second title in five weeks, Joint's rise has been quite astonishing since starting the year at No.116.
In just 18 months since deciding to base herself back in Queensland after leaving the US and choosing to work with her Australian coach, Chris Mahony, she's shot up from No.1384.
Left-hander Eala, now a national figure in the Philippines after her own extraordinary breakthrough season in which she beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semis, was left almost lost for words about her success.
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.
The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia's former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.
Joint now has the chance to go into next week's main draw at Wimbledon, where she'll face another Russian, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, with a maiden grass-court title under her belt.
The teenager, who was 5-3 down in the first set before taking control against the 33-year-old with her crisp hitting and sharp movement, was left astonished by her achievement.
"Super exciting. I think if you told me at the beginning of the week that I'd be in the final, I wouldn't believe you," said Joint.
"I've definitely learned to love grass this week.
In Saturday's final, she will face another of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 in the other semi.
It will be the youngest final at the event since two American teens, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger, did battle in the 1981 showdown at Devonshire Park.
For Joint, there are echoes of her run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open in May when her victory came just a couple of days before she was due to play in her first French Open outing.
If she wins the title in Eastbourne on Saturday, becoming the first ever Australian women's winner in the event's 50-year history, she will then dash straight to London 120km up the road from the seaside venue to prepare for her maiden Wimbledon, where she'll be ranked for the first time in the world's top 50.
"I can take confidence that I won it last time (in Rabat), and maybe I'll be a little bit less nervous this time, but I'm just really excited to come out here and play another final," she said.
"I'm super excited to play Alex, we're gonna have a great match. She's a really nice girl, and, yeah, we're looking forward to it."
Up to No.41 if she wins her second title in five weeks, Joint's rise has been quite astonishing since starting the year at No.116.
In just 18 months since deciding to base herself back in Queensland after leaving the US and choosing to work with her Australian coach, Chris Mahony, she's shot up from No.1384.
Left-hander Eala, now a national figure in the Philippines after her own extraordinary breakthrough season in which she beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semis, was left almost lost for words about her success.
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.
The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia's former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.
Joint now has the chance to go into next week's main draw at Wimbledon, where she'll face another Russian, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, with a maiden grass-court title under her belt.
The teenager, who was 5-3 down in the first set before taking control against the 33-year-old with her crisp hitting and sharp movement, was left astonished by her achievement.
"Super exciting. I think if you told me at the beginning of the week that I'd be in the final, I wouldn't believe you," said Joint.
"I've definitely learned to love grass this week.
In Saturday's final, she will face another of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 in the other semi.
It will be the youngest final at the event since two American teens, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger, did battle in the 1981 showdown at Devonshire Park.
For Joint, there are echoes of her run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open in May when her victory came just a couple of days before she was due to play in her first French Open outing.
If she wins the title in Eastbourne on Saturday, becoming the first ever Australian women's winner in the event's 50-year history, she will then dash straight to London 120km up the road from the seaside venue to prepare for her maiden Wimbledon, where she'll be ranked for the first time in the world's top 50.
"I can take confidence that I won it last time (in Rabat), and maybe I'll be a little bit less nervous this time, but I'm just really excited to come out here and play another final," she said.
"I'm super excited to play Alex, we're gonna have a great match. She's a really nice girl, and, yeah, we're looking forward to it."
Up to No.41 if she wins her second title in five weeks, Joint's rise has been quite astonishing since starting the year at No.116.
In just 18 months since deciding to base herself back in Queensland after leaving the US and choosing to work with her Australian coach, Chris Mahony, she's shot up from No.1384.
Left-hander Eala, now a national figure in the Philippines after her own extraordinary breakthrough season in which she beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semis, was left almost lost for words about her success.
Australian teenager Maya Joint has reached another WTA final at the age of just 19, giving herself the perfect pre-Wimbledon boost by powering into the championship match in the traditional Eastbourne International curtain-raiser.
The US-born Queenslander, competing in just her second senior grass-court event, took another illustrious scalp on Friday following her wins over Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu as she defeated Russia's former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5 6-4 in the semi-final.
Joint now has the chance to go into next week's main draw at Wimbledon, where she'll face another Russian, 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, with a maiden grass-court title under her belt.
The teenager, who was 5-3 down in the first set before taking control against the 33-year-old with her crisp hitting and sharp movement, was left astonished by her achievement.
"Super exciting. I think if you told me at the beginning of the week that I'd be in the final, I wouldn't believe you," said Joint.
"I've definitely learned to love grass this week.
In Saturday's final, she will face another of the game's rising stars, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala, who became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final as she beat fellow qualifier Varvara Gracheva 7-5 2-6 6-3 in the other semi.
It will be the youngest final at the event since two American teens, Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger, did battle in the 1981 showdown at Devonshire Park.
For Joint, there are echoes of her run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open in May when her victory came just a couple of days before she was due to play in her first French Open outing.
If she wins the title in Eastbourne on Saturday, becoming the first ever Australian women's winner in the event's 50-year history, she will then dash straight to London 120km up the road from the seaside venue to prepare for her maiden Wimbledon, where she'll be ranked for the first time in the world's top 50.
"I can take confidence that I won it last time (in Rabat), and maybe I'll be a little bit less nervous this time, but I'm just really excited to come out here and play another final," she said.
"I'm super excited to play Alex, we're gonna have a great match. She's a really nice girl, and, yeah, we're looking forward to it."
Up to No.41 if she wins her second title in five weeks, Joint's rise has been quite astonishing since starting the year at No.116.
In just 18 months since deciding to base herself back in Queensland after leaving the US and choosing to work with her Australian coach, Chris Mahony, she's shot up from No.1384.
Left-hander Eala, now a national figure in the Philippines after her own extraordinary breakthrough season in which she beat Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek en route to the Miami Open semis, was left almost lost for words about her success.
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Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." The three say the government must use their parliamentary mandate to make systematic reforms, including banning gambling ads, implementing a national regulator and treating gambling as a health issue. A spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells said she has had several meetings with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes. He said the government had delivered "some of the most significant gambling harm reduction measures in Australian history", pointing to mandatory ID verification and banning credit cards for online gambling and launching BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. Australians top the list for the world's highest gambling losses, placing $244.3 billion in bets every year. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 Australia risks losing a whole generation of kids to gambling, as criticisms are levelled at the government for failing to implement reforms from a landmark report two years on. The "You win some, you lose more" parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, chaired by fierce gambling reform advocate the late Peta Murphy MP, delivered 31 recommendations in 2023. The unanimously supported proposals focused on reducing harm, protecting children and applying a long-overdue public health approach to gambling in this country. But two years to the day, gambling reform advocates, health bodies and church groups say the federal government have been silent. 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Vested interests, including the AFL and NRL, sports betting companies, and the commercial broadcasting networks, had stalled reforms, Rev Costello said. The nation's peak body for doctors, the Australian Medical Association, is demanding the government immediately action all 31 recommendations, accusing it of exposing millions of Australians to predatory betting companies. "Every day of delay means more Australians fall victim to an industry that profits from harm and despair," AMA President Danielle McMullen said. Wesley Mission chief executive Stu Cameron expressed deep disappointment in the government's failure to act on a bipartisan road map to tackle gambling harm."Two years on, the silence from Canberra is deafening," Rev Cameron said. "While the government hesitates, lives are being torn apart." 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Leeds head coach Brad Arthur has backed Jake Connor to make his England return after the Rhinos half-back produced another dazzling display in the Rhinos' richly entertaining 48-30 win over Leigh at Headingley. Connor kicked eight from eight conversions and set up the final try for Mikolaj Oledzki just three days before Shaun Wane names his performance squad ahead of the Autumn Ashes against Australia. Despite stern competition from the likes of Wigan's Harry Smith and Hull KR hero Mikey Lewis, Arthur believes Connor ought to be in the reckoning for his first England appearance since 2018. The former Parramatta mentor said: "I think he's probably done enough to get a mention. We've got a quite a good representation in there and if the boys keep playing well it only enhances Jake's opportunities." Asked if the often confrontational Connor is the kind of player whom the Australians might fear having to face, the Sydney-born Arthur grinned before respoding: "I'm pretty happy with Jake's behaviour on the field. "He's been very discreet when he's having a little niggle, and he's doing a pretty good job of hiding it." Leeds' eight-try show was exactly what Arthur ordered after last week's painful loss at St Helens, and he conceded he was prepared to overlook some of the defensive frailties in a remarkably open 14-try affair. "You can sit here and be negative and talk about the defence of both teams but that sort of game is what the fans want to see, lots of tries and great skill on show," added Arthur. "We came here to have a response from last week and go after the game and we did that, so that's all I'm worried about. It was fourth versus third and we jumped a spot there. "We've done a lot of nice things. Overall we're trying to grow the game and it's what people want to see. I'll put it down to a nice win." Leigh's defeat came at a price as head coach Adrian Lam revealed full-back David Armstrong and winger Darnell McIntosh are set to miss the upcoming games against leading duo Wigan and Hull KR after aggravating knee injuries at Headingley. Armstrong, who started the game heavily strapped, required lengthy treatment after 15 minutes and was eventually withdrawn at half-time before McIntosh, who temporarily replaced him at the back, was struck by a similar problem. "(Armstrong) will be out for a couple of weeks now," confirmed Lam. "He's had a bit of a knee injury, and with McIntosh it's the same thing with the knee, and I think he'll (also) be out for a couple of weeks." Lam was less enamoured with the open nature of the game than Arthur, but conceded he could have expected little more after a gruelling week in the wake of last week's tiring win over Catalans Dragons in France. "It was a weird game - we looked lethargic from last week in that heat," he said. "It was a short turnaround and it looked like we hadn't played together at times tonight. "I think the fans got their money's worth (but) some of the things we were doing in the game were just uncharacteristic. Having said that, we scored some very good tries and didn't give up." Leeds head coach Brad Arthur has backed Jake Connor to make his England return after the Rhinos half-back produced another dazzling display in the Rhinos' richly entertaining 48-30 win over Leigh at Headingley. Connor kicked eight from eight conversions and set up the final try for Mikolaj Oledzki just three days before Shaun Wane names his performance squad ahead of the Autumn Ashes against Australia. Despite stern competition from the likes of Wigan's Harry Smith and Hull KR hero Mikey Lewis, Arthur believes Connor ought to be in the reckoning for his first England appearance since 2018. The former Parramatta mentor said: "I think he's probably done enough to get a mention. We've got a quite a good representation in there and if the boys keep playing well it only enhances Jake's opportunities." Asked if the often confrontational Connor is the kind of player whom the Australians might fear having to face, the Sydney-born Arthur grinned before respoding: "I'm pretty happy with Jake's behaviour on the field. "He's been very discreet when he's having a little niggle, and he's doing a pretty good job of hiding it." Leeds' eight-try show was exactly what Arthur ordered after last week's painful loss at St Helens, and he conceded he was prepared to overlook some of the defensive frailties in a remarkably open 14-try affair. "You can sit here and be negative and talk about the defence of both teams but that sort of game is what the fans want to see, lots of tries and great skill on show," added Arthur. "We came here to have a response from last week and go after the game and we did that, so that's all I'm worried about. It was fourth versus third and we jumped a spot there. "We've done a lot of nice things. Overall we're trying to grow the game and it's what people want to see. I'll put it down to a nice win." Leigh's defeat came at a price as head coach Adrian Lam revealed full-back David Armstrong and winger Darnell McIntosh are set to miss the upcoming games against leading duo Wigan and Hull KR after aggravating knee injuries at Headingley. Armstrong, who started the game heavily strapped, required lengthy treatment after 15 minutes and was eventually withdrawn at half-time before McIntosh, who temporarily replaced him at the back, was struck by a similar problem. "(Armstrong) will be out for a couple of weeks now," confirmed Lam. "He's had a bit of a knee injury, and with McIntosh it's the same thing with the knee, and I think he'll (also) be out for a couple of weeks." Lam was less enamoured with the open nature of the game than Arthur, but conceded he could have expected little more after a gruelling week in the wake of last week's tiring win over Catalans Dragons in France. "It was a weird game - we looked lethargic from last week in that heat," he said. "It was a short turnaround and it looked like we hadn't played together at times tonight. "I think the fans got their money's worth (but) some of the things we were doing in the game were just uncharacteristic. Having said that, we scored some very good tries and didn't give up." Leeds head coach Brad Arthur has backed Jake Connor to make his England return after the Rhinos half-back produced another dazzling display in the Rhinos' richly entertaining 48-30 win over Leigh at Headingley. Connor kicked eight from eight conversions and set up the final try for Mikolaj Oledzki just three days before Shaun Wane names his performance squad ahead of the Autumn Ashes against Australia. Despite stern competition from the likes of Wigan's Harry Smith and Hull KR hero Mikey Lewis, Arthur believes Connor ought to be in the reckoning for his first England appearance since 2018. The former Parramatta mentor said: "I think he's probably done enough to get a mention. We've got a quite a good representation in there and if the boys keep playing well it only enhances Jake's opportunities." Asked if the often confrontational Connor is the kind of player whom the Australians might fear having to face, the Sydney-born Arthur grinned before respoding: "I'm pretty happy with Jake's behaviour on the field. "He's been very discreet when he's having a little niggle, and he's doing a pretty good job of hiding it." Leeds' eight-try show was exactly what Arthur ordered after last week's painful loss at St Helens, and he conceded he was prepared to overlook some of the defensive frailties in a remarkably open 14-try affair. "You can sit here and be negative and talk about the defence of both teams but that sort of game is what the fans want to see, lots of tries and great skill on show," added Arthur. "We came here to have a response from last week and go after the game and we did that, so that's all I'm worried about. It was fourth versus third and we jumped a spot there. "We've done a lot of nice things. Overall we're trying to grow the game and it's what people want to see. I'll put it down to a nice win." Leigh's defeat came at a price as head coach Adrian Lam revealed full-back David Armstrong and winger Darnell McIntosh are set to miss the upcoming games against leading duo Wigan and Hull KR after aggravating knee injuries at Headingley. Armstrong, who started the game heavily strapped, required lengthy treatment after 15 minutes and was eventually withdrawn at half-time before McIntosh, who temporarily replaced him at the back, was struck by a similar problem. "(Armstrong) will be out for a couple of weeks now," confirmed Lam. "He's had a bit of a knee injury, and with McIntosh it's the same thing with the knee, and I think he'll (also) be out for a couple of weeks." Lam was less enamoured with the open nature of the game than Arthur, but conceded he could have expected little more after a gruelling week in the wake of last week's tiring win over Catalans Dragons in France. "It was a weird game - we looked lethargic from last week in that heat," he said. "It was a short turnaround and it looked like we hadn't played together at times tonight. "I think the fans got their money's worth (but) some of the things we were doing in the game were just uncharacteristic. Having said that, we scored some very good tries and didn't give up."
