Australian teenager Maya Joint has made a remarkable stride in her preparation for Wimbledon by advancing to the final of the Eastbourne Open. The 19-year-old, originally from the US but now representing Queensland, has shown tremendous prowess throughout the week, overcoming illustrious opponents in what is just her second senior grass-court tournament. In the semi-finals, she secured a solid 7-5, 6-4 victory against Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Joint’s impressive run included earlier victories against notable players such as Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu, allowing her to enter her first-round match at Wimbledon against 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova with heightened confidence. Demonstrating resilience, she battled back from a 5-3 deficit in the first set against Pavlyuchenkova, ultimately gaining control of the match.
Reflecting on her achievement, Joint expressed her disbelief at reaching the final, stating, “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.” With the opportunity to claim victory in the final, she could become the first Australian woman to win the Eastbourne Open in its 50-year history.
Joint is set to face another promising talent, 20-year-old Alexandra Eala. Eala’s journey to the final is noteworthy as she became the first player from the Philippines to reach a WTA Tour final after defeating Varvara Gracheva in the semi-finals. The upcoming match between Joint and Eala will mark the youngest final at Eastbourne since 1981.
This year has been transformative for Joint, who started ranked No.116 and has rapidly ascended the rankings, now positioned at No.41 after previously ranking as low as No.1384 just 18 months ago. She aims to collect her second title within five weeks, having claimed her first WTA title at the Morocco Open on clay in May.
In other news, five-time major champion Iga Swiatek has also made headlines by reaching her first grass-court final after over a year. She triumphed over Jasmine Paolini with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win in the semi-finals, improving her head-to-head record against Paolini to 5-0. Swiatek acknowledged the challenge of her opponent, emphasising the need to take charge early to prevent Paolini from gaining momentum. To secure her first title since the 2024 French Open, Swiatek must face No.3 seed Jessica Pegula, who edged past Linda Noskova in a tightly contested match.
As both Joint and Swiatek gear up for their respective finals, the anticipation builds for what promises to be an exciting period in women’s tennis.