Australian tennis player Maya Joint secured a notable upset at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, defeating sixth seed and world number 16 Sorana Cirstea of Romania in straight sets. Joint triumphed 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) to advance to the round of 16 at the WTA 500 event.
Although ranked 94th entering the tournament after a steady drop from a career-high of 28th in February, the American-born Australian demonstrated strong form that extended her recent momentum. Last month, Joint reached the final at the Korea Open in Seoul, where compatriot Kim Birrell captured her first WTA title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
With her opening win secured, Joint advances to face Spanish world number 42 Cristina Bucsa in the next round. Bucsa earned her spot in the round of 16 by defeating France’s Diane Parry 7-5, 6-1.
Joint is joined in the main draw by fellow Australian Talia Gibson, who advanced on Monday following an all-Australian match against qualifier Daria Kasatkina. Gibson claimed a 6-0, 7-5 victory, winning the first eight games consecutively before holding off a determined challenge from the former world number eight in the second set. Gibson’s next opponent in the round of 16 will be eighth-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, at the Guangzhou Open, American veteran Venus Williams fell 6-2, 6-2 to Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger. The match marked Williams’ thirteenth singles defeat without a win this year. The 28-year age gap between the 46-year-old Williams and 18-year-old Tagger is believed to set a record for the largest age difference between opponents in a WTA Tour match. Williams failed to create a break-point opportunity during the encounter, while Tagger successfully converted four of her 16 break-point chances.
