Latest news with #pre-Wimbledon
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka make amends after heated French Open row, prepare for Wimbledon with a dance-off
While the barbed messages swapped between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka in the wake of the American's victory over the world number one in the French Open final might have seen battle lines drawn and the start of a testy rivalry, the two WTA superstars didn't take long to bury the hatchet ahead of their respective Wimbledon campaigns this summer. Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka took some time to shoot a video with each other during their pre-Wimbledon preparations.(AP) The tour number one and number two settled things down in an extremely modern way, making use of their shared training session at the Wimbledon grounds to create a pair of TikToks together, which were later posted to their accounts. This included a dance they performed together, as well a lip-synced video which Gauff captioned: 'The olive branch was extended and accepted!' Further, Gauff asked her fans to cool off on the war of words that had begun between the fans of both players, writing 'We're good so you guys should be too.' Gauff, Sabalenka put post-match comments in the past Gauff had beaten Sabalenka in a memorable come-from-behind victory in Paris, outlasting the Belarusian 6-7 6-2 6-4 in a quality final. However, a frustrated Sabalenka was unhappy following her performance in the final, which saw her blast an unprecedented 70 unforced errors. In her press conference following the final, Sabalenka had said ' [She] won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from ... easy balls.' Additionally, she took away from Gauff's win by saying Iga Swiatek, who the Belarusian beat in the semifinal, would have beaten the American: 'I think if Iga would have beaten me, she would go out today and she would get the win.' Gauff made her displeasure at Sabalenka's comments clear afterwards, stating: 'The way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favourite to win. So I think she was the best person that I could have played in the final. I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone.' Sabalenka did have the grace to apologise for her comments made in the heat of the moment, which might have helped rebuild that bridge quickly after the brief conflict. She clarified that she had personally reached out to Gauff to clear the air: 'That was just completely unprofessional of me. I let my emotions get the better of me. I absolutely regret what I said back then,' said Sabalenka in a statement. 'We all make mistakes. I'm just a human being who's still learning in life. I think we all have those days when we lose control. The difference with me is the world is watching.' As the top two seeds, Sabalenka and Gauff are projected to once again only meet in the finals of Wimbledon, should they reach that stage. Gauff's tough draw sees her run into an improving Swiatek in the quarterfinal, while Sabalenka will have a wary eye on a potential rematch against Australian Open 2025 champion Madison Keys in her own quarter.
The Advertiser
20 hours 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
21 hours 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
21 hours 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.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Aussie teen stuns Raducanu in pre-Wimbledon upset
Australia's Maya Joint defeated former US Open champion Emma Raducanu at the pre-Wimbledon Eastbourne International.
