By Marc McGowan
A third grand slam clash this year with Novak Djokovic is one step closer for Alexei Popyrin as a new Australian rising star continues her stunning emergence at the US Open.
Eighteen-year-old qualifier Maya Joint, who was raised in Michigan but switched allegiances to her Melbourne-born father Michael’s nationality in May last year, upset German veteran Laura Siegemund 6-4, 7-5 in an impressive debut at the sport’s highest level.
American-born Australian Maya Joint is enjoying a breakout year.Credit: Getty Images
Popyrin was the first Australian to advance in his first major as a seed, maturely dealing with the odd spot fire on his way to dispatching South Korean Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 in barely two hours to reach the second round.
Ajla Tomljanovic, a quarter-finalist at the 2022 US Open, also advanced, 6-4, 6-4, over American qualifier Ann Li, while Rinky Hijikata, who made the last 16 at this tournament last year, ousted tough Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
However, Adam Walton and qualifiers Kim Birrell and Priscilla Hon lost their first-round matches.
Joint was one of a record five Australian women – along with Destanee Aiava, Kim Birrell, Arina Rodionova and Priscilla Hon – who qualified at Flushing Meadows to help swell the country’s US Open contingent to 20, the same number as Australia’s Evonne Goolagong Cawley-led group in 1979.
Their male counterparts have dominated the headlines as the women comparatively struggled in the post-Ash Barty era, but there is momentum building from the likes of Joint and fellow young guns Taylah Preston, Talia Gibson and Emerson Jones.
Joint ended last year ranked just inside the top 800, but this latest win moved her up to No.108 in the live rankings, and she might need to rethink her decision to commit to the University of Texas, although, for now, she intends to head there after this tournament.
That means there are complications around how much of her prizemoney, which is already up to a “crazy” $AU207,000, she can accept while remaining eligible to play tennis at college.
“I think I’m going to go to Austin [where the university is located]. My class has actually started today,” Joint said after her career-best win.
“I decided a long time ago that I wanted to go to college, and I wasn’t really expecting to get this far. If I go to college, then I get my scholarship spot. If I decide to go pro in the meantime; I can always come back on scholarship, which is a big deal.”
Joint’s father was a professional squash player, while her German mother, Katja, played tennis, squash and badminton in her youth.
There were nervous moments making it to the finish line after Joint raced to a 5-0 second-set lead, only to hand back both her breaks as she began to press too much and became visibly frustrated. Her first match point in the 10th game also went begging on Siegemund’s serve after she drilled a forehand long.
With Sam Stosur and Nicole Pratt in the crowd, Joint’s 40-0 lead on serve also evaporated at five-all, but she ground out a hold before the contest swung in her favour again.
Siegemund, who boasts a career-high ranking of No.27, is one of the grittiest players on tour, but suddenly unravelled with back-to-back forehand errors then a double fault to fall triple match point down to an opponent half her age.
The 36-year-old saved the first of them, but former top-20 junior Joint’s aggression paid dividends one last time.
The fast-rising Australian nailed a blistering inside-out forehand return then sent Siegemund dashing the other way before completing the boilover with a backhand drive volley winner.
A disbelieving Joint instantly turned to her courtside team, who she embraced after meeting Siegemund at the net. Up next will be American 14th seed Madison Keys, who swept aside Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-1.
Alexei Popyrin advanced to the second round at the US Open.Credit: Getty Images
“I have no pressure,” Joint said. “I’ve seen Madison Keys play multiple times on television but obviously never played against her, so I’m excited.”
Joint’s breakout year includes reaching final-round qualifying at the Australian Open, becoming the youngest Australian at 17 to win a $75,000 event at Burnie, another ITF title in Santo Domingo, a maiden top-100 win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at a WTA 125 in June, plus a first WTA 125 final in Poland in July.
It was a solid start for Popyrin at the world’s most boisterous slam, where players deal with a never-ending stream of planes flying overhead and a generally more raucous atmosphere in New York.
The Montreal champion has never had so much expectation on him since his breakthrough Masters 1000 triumph a fortnight ago – where he beat five consecutive top-20 rivals, including Andrey Rublev in the final – propelled him inside the top 30 for the first time.
Popyrin has already taken a set off Djokovic at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, and will face the 24-time grand slam champion again if they both make the round of 32.
He must first beat Spaniard Pedro Martinez, who outlasted Polish qualifier Maks Kasnikowski in a tense five-setter.
“I feel like I’ve had a lot of scenarios in my career where I had one more match, and then I would play a big match, so I’ve kind of gotten used to focusing on the match that I’ve got in hand,” Popyrin said.
“And then if I win that, then, yeah, obviously I’ve got Novak in the third. But, honestly, I’m just thinking of of of this match and not thinking about Novak.”
Popyrin blasted 14 aces, lost only three of his 37 first-serve points, and hit almost double as many winners overall (37-20) as Kwon, who hurt his own cause with 13 double faults and often at the worst times.
Ajla Tomljanovic breezed past American qualifier Ann Li in the first round.Credit: Getty Images
They traded breaks in the opening set before Kwon book-ended the 11th game with double faults to gift Popyrin the break and soon a one-set lead.
But the key moment came early in the second set, when another multi-double fault game from Kwon handed Popyrin a break point. Another wild forehand from the South Korean sealed the break, but he was in a great position to repeat his first set effort of breaking back immediately.
Popyrin sunk to 0-40, but reeled off the next five points, including pounding a forehand winner to go 3-1 up. Another break in the seventh game helped the Australian snatch a two-sets advantage.
There was little between the players through the first six games of the third set before Popyrin made his move, crushing a superb backhand return winner as Kwon attempted a rare serve-volley then cruised to victory.
Hijikata has a second-round date with No.9 seed Grigor Dimitrov, and Tomljanovic’s next opponent is 33rd-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens.
Birrell lost 6-4, 6-4 to Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic and Hon went down 6-3, 6-3 to dual Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, while Walton was a break up in the third set on France’s Alexandre Muller before bowing out 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, 6-4. – with AAP
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