Hong Kong Tennis Open: Maya Joint eyes another title – and Australian grand slam seeding
Ranked 684th in early 2024, the Australian teen is on track to be in the top 32 for her home major
Maya Joint has one eye on a seeded berth at the Australian Open as she looks to continue her march through the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Friday.
After being forced to dig in to defeat Anastasija Sevastova in a three-setter in which she was a set and a break down before a rain delay on Monday, Joint had a much smoother time against Viktoria Morvayova on Wednesday, progressing in straight sets.
The 19-year-old Australian, who came to Hong Kong ranked 32nd in the world, needs to at least maintain that ranking to be seeded for her home slam in January. And she was in the mood to do just that ahead of her quarter-final on Friday against Japanese qualifier Himeno Sakatsume as she targeted a third title of the year.
“I started off really well [against Morvayova], which was a big focus,” Joint said. “I was serving well, hitting my spots and being consistent.”
Ranked 684th in the world when she turned up to the Canberra 125 event in January 2024, Joint propelled herself into the spotlight with a main-draw win at last year’s US Open over Laura Siegemund after fighting her way through qualifying.
Things have only got brighter in 2025, with the teenager winning WTA 250 events in Rabat in May and Eastbourne in June.