Maya Joint's 2025 keeps improving after claiming the biggest scalp of her career against world No.20 Donna Vekić at Mexico's Merida Open.
The 18-year-old Australian emphatically dispatched Vekić 6-1 6-2 in 80 minutes to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event.
According to OptaAce, since 1990, Joint is only the second Australian teenager to concede three or fewer games in victory over a top-20 opponent, joining elite company alongside Jelena Dokic.
Shop now at www.tennisdirect.com.au 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15 excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards.
In her four matches this week, including two qualifying rounds, Joint's serve has been broken twice.
"It feels amazing... I've been to Merida once before, so I love coming back here," Joint said in her on-court interview.
"I think [Vekić's] game style suits my game style, and I really like these courts and the atmosphere."
She has now risen to No.83 in the live WTA rankings, with Armenia's Elina Avanesyan awaiting in the last-eight.
In the same tournament, Daria Saville produced back-to-back main draw wins for the first time since the San Diego Open in March last year thanks to a gusty fightback against unseeded Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina.
The 30-year-old will face the winner of Jaqueline Cristian or former world No.2 Paula Badosa in the quarters.
Elsewhere, Ajla Tomljanović is on the cusp of re-entering the world's top-100, defeating Britain's Jodie Burrage 4-6 6-3 6-0 at Austin's ATX Open.
Now sitting at No.103 in the live rankings, the three-time major quarter-finalist will face world No.148 Ena Shibahara in the last-eight.
Sports FX empowers professional athletes with tailored currency management solutions that help you maximise your earnings while competing globally. To see how it works head to www.sportsfx.com.au
Comments