Maya Joint hoping for court time as part of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team

Having graduated from her previous ‘orange girl’ duties, Maya Joint hopes to play an important role for Australia in Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Colombia.

Teenage prodigy Maya Joint says being Australia’s former “orange girl” has given her a head start on what to expect from being part of the nation’s Billie Jean King Cup team for this week’s qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Colombia in Brisbane.

Joint, 18, is poised to make her Cup debut at Pat Rafter Arena after being named in a five-strong Australian contingent that also includes Kimberly Birrell, Ajla Tomljanovic, Ellen Perez and Storm Hunter.

Born in America, Joint – whose Australian father Michael is a ex-professional squash player – relocated to Brisbane two years ago after pledging her allegiance to Australia.

Now ranked 78th in the world, Joint got a taste of being in an Australian camp when she was selected to be the nation’s “orange girl” – an unofficial tradition and role reserved for a promising player – for last year’s Billie Jean King Cup finals in Spain.

“It was super helpful to be the orange girl before being on the team,” Joint said on Tuesday.

“It really gave me a feel for now everything works, and being able to watch the team practice and compete.

“Everyone’s been so nice and helpful. I really feel a part of the team.”

The 2025 #BJKCup Qualifiers are SET 🔒

Which six group winners will join Italy and China at the Finals in Shenzhen? 👀 pic.twitter.com/DapVBd7oXa

— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) January 23, 2025

Now an official team member, Joint’s next step is to be chosen for on-court action by Australia’s non-playing captain, the retired Sam Stosur.

Australia meets Kazakhstan on Thursday and Colombia on Saturday, with each tie being a best-of-three contest consisting of two singles matches and one doubles affair.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I’m excited to see,” Joint said.

“I’ve been playing well this week, and I’ve had some great practice (sessions) here, and so have the other girls. We’ve all been playing very well.

“I’m really grateful to be part of this team. To be able to win as a team means a lot more than just winning for yourself.”

Joint, who reached the semi-finals of this year’s Hobart International, said she was “super excited” to be back in Brisbane.

“Brisbane’s such a nice place to play tennis. I train here so often, so I really feel at home,” she said.

Originally published as Maya Joint hoping for court time as part of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team