Maya Joint stuns high-ranked Beatriz Haddad Maia to power into the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati, USA, 10 August 2025 | AAP
Rising Australian star Maya Joint has fought her way into the third round in Cincinnati as she fine-tunes her preparation for this month’s US Open.
Teen sensation Maya Joint continues to fly the Australian flag in the US, powering her way into the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
The 19-year-old overcame a mid-match wobble to overcome 18th-seeded Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4 4-6 6-4 on Sunday (AEST).
Joint proved much more effective on her first serve, landing 70 per cent of her first delivery compared with just 55 per cent for the Brazilian.
In a match that featured a swag of break-point opportunities, Joint had a slight advantage, converting seven of the 19 chances she set up, compared with six of 17 for Haddad Maia.
It was a superb win against the Brazilian, who is certainly no slouch, having won four tournaments in a career that has taken her to a career-high No.10 ranking.
Victory for Joint on the Cincinnati hard courts set up a third-round meeting with 12-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Joint reached a career-high singles ranking of No.37 last month and is currently Australia’s No.2 behind Daria Kasatkina.
Looking to join the 19-year-old in the third round in Cincinnati are fellow Aussies Kasatkina, Kimberly Birrell and Ajla Tomljanovic, who play their second-round matches on Sunday evening.
Kasatkina, seeded 15th in Cincinnati, is favoured to advance when she takes on Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti.
Birrell faces a daunting challenge against American fourth seed Jessica Pegula, who reached the final of last year’s US Open.
Tomljanovic will also have her hands full when she takes on Denmark’s Clara Tauson, who beat major winners Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys on her way to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal last week.
Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton will also contest second-round matches at the ATP 1000 tournament simultaneously underway in the Ohio city.
De Minaur, who as No.6 seed received a first-round bye, opens his campaign against big-serving American Reilly Opelka. Popyrin, the No.21 seed, faces Spanish qualifier Martin Landaluce.
After a first-round win over Mariano Lavone, Walton takes on No.12 seed and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
The Cincinnati Open is a vital lead-up to the year’s final major, the US Open, played on the hard courts at Flushing M eadows in New York from 24 August.
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