Teen wonders Jones, Joint slapped with nightmare first rounds

Our Australian teen prodigies Emerson Jones and Maya Joint have both been slapped with brutal first-round matchups, though early victories at Melbourne Park could set up incredible runs for the ones to watch.

Jones, who is only 16 and will be contesting her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open next week, has been lined up to play 2022 Wimbledon champion and 2023 Aussie finalist Elena Rybakina on Tuesday.

Joint, 18, has a similarly rough start — she’s teed to play 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula.

Both have never played in front of Aussie fans in the main draw of their home slam before, meaning the energy and backing from the crowd could give them a much-needed tipping point; though Rybakina and Pegula, both of whom have ranked among the top three in the world at times, have never been ones to wilt under pressure.

Jones, who has at times been compared to a younger Ash Barty (and has been training with the retired Australian champion through the last twelve months) said she’s looking to start “her own journey” at the AO this year.

“I think it’s great when people say that I’m following in Ash Barty’s footsteps,” she said.

“Obviously, she was a crazy tennis player [with] unreal results.

“I’ve got my own journey,” the Aussie young gun quickly added though. “I do think it’s pretty special when people say stuff like that… [but] obviously, it’s going to take a lot to get where she was.”

Maya Joint too is staying calm and collected before her fiery Pegula challenge on Monday. The aggressive baseliner comes to Melbourne Park by way of the college circuit with the Texas Longhorns — she was born in Michigan — after electing to represent her father’s country in 2023 when her breakout on the tour was just starting.

“I like being the underdog in matches. Just go out, have no pressure, see what I can do,” Joint said. “I’m excited to test myself against the best. When I played here for the first time, they really made me feel like I was always representing Australia.”

The first of the two clashes will be on Monday at 5pm when Joint plays Pegula.

Jones’ contest against Rybankina is still TBD time-wise for Tuesday.