Maya Joint has successfully kickstarted her Prague Open campaign, defeating local wildcard Laura Samson in a tight three-set battle on Tuesday.
In a clash of the teenagers, Joint withstood a valiant effort from the 2024 semifinalist, prevailing 6-4 3-6 6-2 in just under two hours.
Full of confidence from Wimbledon, where she defeated 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, Joint’s composure and efficiency propelled her to the last 16.
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Despite the match being forced into a deciding set, Joint capitalised on Samson’s serving jitters. The world No.150 committed nine double faults for the match, compared to Joint’s four, with all nine occurring in Joint’s winning sets.
Recording her fifth win of the season at the WTA 250 tournament, Joint looks to build momentum ahead of next month’s US Open. Her return to hard courts at tour-level comes a week earlier than her top-100 compatriots, with Kim Birrell, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic all scheduled to play next week's WTA 250 event in Memphis.
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Joint is also on the entry list for the new Memphis hardcourt event, with the American city hosting a WTA tourament for the first time since 2013.
Joint's first hardcourt swing came to an abrupt end following Indian Wells due to a lower back injury.
With Tuesday’s victory against Samson, Joint will have another local hero in her sights, next facing fifth seed Tereza Valentova. Valentova defeated another Australian in Priscilla Hon to book her place in the second round, securing a 6-3 6-1 victory over the lucky loser.
After Valentova spoiled Joint’s homecoming at the Australian Open in January, triumphing 6-4 6-4, Joint will hope to do the same in their next match as she targets her first quarterfinal appearance since the Adelaide International in January.
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