Latest news with #EastbourneInternational
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
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. Maya's moment 💪Maya Joint makes her first @wta final on grass at the #LexusEastbourneOpen & will face Eala tomorrow for the title! — LTA (@the_LTA) June 27, 2025 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.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
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.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Golden day for Aussies as quartet earn Wimbledon spots
Australian tennis is celebrating a green-and-golden day as four more of its battalion qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw of the sport's most celebrated Championship -- 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 100km away. 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. But it would have been greedy to expect more than four getting through on a windswept day a few kilometres up the road from Wimbledon, which ensured there'll be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Aussies 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. Alas, 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. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't 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 amazing 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's the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she'll 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. Australian tennis is celebrating a green-and-golden day as four more of its battalion qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw of the sport's most celebrated Championship -- 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 100km away. 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. But it would have been greedy to expect more than four getting through on a windswept day a few kilometres up the road from Wimbledon, which ensured there'll be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Aussies 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. Alas, 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. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't 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 amazing 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's the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she'll 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. Australian tennis is celebrating a green-and-golden day as four more of its battalion qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw of the sport's most celebrated Championship -- 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 100km away. 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. But it would have been greedy to expect more than four getting through on a windswept day a few kilometres up the road from Wimbledon, which ensured there'll be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Aussies 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. Alas, 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. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't 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 amazing 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's the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she'll 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. Australian tennis is celebrating a green-and-golden day as four more of its battalion qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw of the sport's most celebrated Championship -- 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 100km away. 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. But it would have been greedy to expect more than four getting through on a windswept day a few kilometres up the road from Wimbledon, which ensured there'll be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Aussies 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. Alas, 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. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't 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 amazing 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's the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she'll 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.
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Priscilla Hon stages epic comeback at Wimbledon as Australia celebrate biggest contingent since 1995
Australian tennis is celebrating a green-and-golden day as four more of its battalion qualified for Wimbledon, meaning 17 players will feature in the main draw of the sport's most celebrated Championship — 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 100km away. 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. But it would have been greedy to expect more than four getting through on a windswept day a few kilometres up the road from Wimbledon, which ensured there'll be seven women and 10 men in Friday's draw, matching the 17 Aussies 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. Alas, 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. Jones, who was seeking to become the youngest Aussie since former Wimbledon champ Barty made it back in 2012, couldn't 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 amazing 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's the first Australian to get this far in the traditional Wimbledon curtain-raiser for 14 years since Sam Stosur and she'll 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.
