Maya Joint's meteoric rise in the past 18 months is among the more impressive stories in women's tennis, a trajectory she continued at the US Open on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old—one of only three teenagers inside the Top 50, behind Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko—advanced to the second round with a straight-set win 6-4, 7-6(6) over qualifier Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva.
This time last year Joint was a qualifier, reaching the second round on her Grand Slam debut while ranked world No. 135. She was ultimately beaten by Madison Keys in her first apperance inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She has since peaked at world No. 37, played at all four majors and won two WTA singles titles. Competing at this year's event in a very different career position, the emotions and feelings accompanying victory nevertheless remain the same.
"It's just so exciting. I really like the US Open; the energy and the crowds. There were so many Aussies out there cheering, it really helped me to get through," Joint said on Tuesday. "I feel a little bit at home here as well. The crowd won't know that I'm from here, but it is nice to be able to play in the States again."
"But I definitely feel more at home when I play in Australia."
She relocated from her hometown of Grosse Point, Mich. to Brisbane in late 2023—a move that saw her flourish.
"I had basically no ranking at the time... I was really looking for some training opportunities just to improve a little bit [before entering the college tennis pathway]," Joint told "The Sit-Down" podcast in May.
"When I got there, I finally had the training, the nutrition, the fitness and the mental [attitude] and everything was just so much better than what I had [previously] that I improved so much. It was amazing." For those unfamiliar with Joint's story, this comment referenced her dual citizenship; Joint's father grew up in Melbourne, was a professor squash player, and is now a squash pro in the Detroit area, where Joint grew up.
Joint began 2024 ranked 684th, but ended it on the brink of the Top 100 after winning more than 60 matches, predominantly on the ITF and WTA 125 circuits, and two titles from four finals. Of all women ending 2024 inside the top 200, only comeback star Naomi Osaka had risen more ranking places that season.
Joint shelved her college plans and turned pro instead, beginning in 2025 with her first tour-level semifinal at Hobart. She cracked the top 100 after reaching the WTA 500 quarterfinals in Merida, then earned her first career WTA singles title in Rabat, followed by a second in Eastbourne—a trophy she earned after saving four championship points to beat Alexandra Eala.
Despite repeated highs this season, her win over Jimenez Kasintseva at the US Open marked her first Grand Slam win of 2025. However, there’s some context behind that stat. Joint drew Top 10 star Jessica Pegula in the first round at the Australian Open, while her Rabat and Eastbourne victories came in the week preceding Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively. She said on Tuesday she would not trade those titles for extra Slam preparation, but acknowledged they impacted her build-up.
This tournament was a lot different. I got a lot more prep time,” said Joint, who exited in the first round at last week’s WTA event in Cleveland. “I was here almost a whole week before; I got used to the courts, used to the conditions. “I think Wimbledon and French, it was really nice to get the title before, but I only had one or two days there, and I didn't get a day off any time.”
Another factor she noted during her interview on "The Sit-Down" was the fact she was still coming to terms with competing against illustrious opponents on bigger courts. She faced Pegula at the Australian Open inside the 10,000-seat John Cain Arena, after playing Victoria Azarenka under the lights at Pat Rafter Arena, Brisbane’s stadium court. "It's definitely a 'this is ridiculous' kind of moment, where I didn't really feel like I was supposed to be there, kind of?” she admitted. “It just felt really weird, me being there. Playing against Pegula on John Cain… walking out onto that court I felt, oh boy. I was like, ‘I'm not winning this match’.
“I've had to work a lot with my mental coach about just kind of playing those matches, because more of those matches have happened, where I'm playing, like, a name.” With repetition this season, she’s adjusted. She scored her first Top-20 win over Donna Vekic in Merida, made her Billie Jean King Cup team debut for Australia in April, and recorded her best WTA 1000 tournament result in Cincinnati earlier this month. These are more milestones which have helped her to this point—a second-round US Open meeting with Amanda Anisimova, the No. 8 seed and recent Wimbledon finalist.
Since Anisimova is also an American star, it’s a match-up almost certainly destined for one of the show courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. "I think I'm getting more comfortable [on big stages]. Still I think there'll always be nerves and excitement on the first couple of games, taking it all in. But I've definitely gotten more confident in my game that I do belong on some of those courts,” Joint said. "It doesn't really bother me if the crowd's against me… When I play Amanda hopefully it will be on a big stage [and I] get to show everyone what I can do.”
