Maya Joint leads the next wave of Australian talent in women's tennis

In 2022, Ash Barty shocked the tennis world by suddenly announcing her retirement after winning her home Grand Slam title and being ranked world number one, leaving a void in the depth of Australian women's tennis. This event marked the abrupt end of the "Barty Era."

Although this void has not been completely filled, there is growing optimism about emerging talents, including 18-year-old Maya Joint. This month, she caused a sensation by reaching the semi-finals of the Hobart International, drawing attention from tennis fans worldwide. In her journey to the semi-finals, Joint defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, world No. 38 Magda Linette, and world No. 53 Olga Danilovic, before ultimately losing to second seed Elise Mertens.

Months prior, Joint made a significant breakthrough at the US Open, winning her first main draw singles match at a Grand Slam by defeating German player Laura Siegemund. At the end of 2023, Joint was ranked 773rd; in just over a year, she has climbed to 118th. She is one of eight Australian women competing in the Australian Open main draw, six of whom are under the age of 26.

Joint, who holds dual citizenship, grew up in Michigan. She initially represented the United States in junior competitions before switching to represent Australia in mid-2023. One of her goals for 2025 is to break into the top 100 in the world and participate in all four Grand Slam events. "There are so many great players outside the top 100," Joint said. "It's so nice to be part of such a good group. We support each other, and we message each other after matches, win or lose. It's great to be a part of it."

Other young players to watch include 16-year-old Queenslander Emerson Jones, the world's top-ranked junior girl, and Australia's highest-ranked female player, Kimberly Birrell, who is ranked 99th in the world. Additionally, there is Olivia Gadecki, who qualified for the main draw, and five wild card entrants: Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic, Talia Gibson, Joint, and Jones, along with Destanee Aiava (along with Birrell) who qualified.

While these young players are unlikely to go far in the competition, especially given the tough draws, Joint will face US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula in the first round, and Jones will face 2023 Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina. However, these young players have already caused some upsets this year. Jones defeated China's Wang Xinyu, ranked 37th in the world, in straight sets at the Adelaide International. Meanwhile, Birrell had a strong showing at the Brisbane International, upsetting world No. 8 Emma Navarro and narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot, ultimately losing to Ukrainian player Anhelina Kalinina.

In light of this, Tomljanovic stated that Australian women's tennis is in an exciting phase. "We have some experienced players like myself who still have the ability to pull off a few surprises. And then you have the younger generation like Emerson and Liv (Gadecki), who have such bright futures," Tomljanovic told ABC Sport. "And then there's that middle generation like Kim Birrell, who is coming into her prime, and that takes some time. I think it's all about belief because I've been in a similar position." She added, "Seeing Kim have such a great week in Brisbane and then carry that into qualifying, I can tell you, that's not easy."

Joint is scheduled to play Pegula at the Australian Open on Monday, January 12th, with the match scheduled for 5 pm.