Published: January 13, 2026 at 2:04 pm
Maya Joint made it three wins in three tries against Sofa Kenin with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory in 1 hour and 36 minutes to reach the second round in Adelaide, according to the WTA.com.
The win thrilled the Aussie fans who packed Centre Court on Tuesday evening, watching their 19-year-old rising star claim her fifth and sixth straight sets against the 2020 Australian Open champion.
And she did it with poise. “Sofia played really well today,” Joint said in her on-court interview. “I’m just really glad that I was able to stick in, fight through it and find a way to play some really good tennis in the important moments.”
There were plenty of those moments in a match that featured high-level shot making from both players. Kenin struck first, breaking the Australian’s serve to open the match and consolidating for a 2-0 lead. But Joint didn’t take long to respond, earning a break of her own with a backhand winner down the line to level at 3-all.
It set the tone for the rest of the night, as both players finished with more winners than unforced errors. Joint hit 25 winners to just 14 unforced errors, while Kenin produced 23 winners against 20 unforced errors.
After Kenin held to force a first-set tiebreak, Joint ended it as quickly as it began, ripping forehand winners to build leads of 3-1, 5-1 and 6-1. Kenin managed to save two set points, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
If the brutal end to the first set rattled Kenin, she didn’t show it. She raced ahead 4-1 in the second set behind aggressive hitting, with 12 of her 20 winners coming in those five games.
But that lead evaporated quickly, and largely through no fault of her own. Joint won the final five games of the match, hitting 14 winners to just two unforced errors in the second set while winning 65% of both her first- and second-serve points overall.
It was a calm, composed performance from the 19-year-old, even if she insisted afterward that she’s anything but calm off the court. “I’m not a calm person,” Joint said. “A lot of things (annoy me). People walking slowly in front of me…I play a lot of cards with my coach. When he wins, that makes me pretty annoyed.”
Joint will face Ajla Tomljanovic next in an all-Australian second round matchup.
Shnaider downs Fernandez
The victory is Shnaider’s second straight over Fernandez at the WTA Tour, bringing their head-to-head to 2-2 after Fernandez won the first two meetings
Diana Shnaider and Leylah Fernandez were slated for an unusually high-powered first-round matchup, with two players just outside the Top 20 opening the day’s play.
The match delivered on every bit of the hype, as Shnaider and Fernandez went toe to toe through the first 11 games before Shnaider finally edged ahead for a 7-5, 6-3 win in 1 hour and 37 minutes.
The victory is Shnaider’s second straight over Fernandez at the WTA Tour, bringing their head-to-head to 2-2 after Fernandez won the first two meetings.
“I knew it was going to be tough, but I prepared myself very well,” Shnaider said after the match. “I feel like the most important thing was just to stay focused and play every point, because I know she’s a great player.
“She makes winners. I make winners too. So, I just tried to keep my composure and do my thing.”
That’s exactly what Shnaider did, as her ball-striking was sharp from the opening game. Though Fernandez made sure nothing came easily for the 21-year-old, matching her ball for ball throughout the first set.
On serve at 4-3, Shnaider earned her first break point in a four-deuce game, but Fernandez held to level at 4-all. She then repeated that formula, saving a set point in the next game with brilliant net play, but the pressure eventually mounted. Fernandez’s unforced error count crept up late in the set, and Shnaider broke in the 12th game to close it out in just under an hour.
Shnaider carried that momentum into the second set, taking a 3-0 lead before Fernandez could blink. Fernandez, as usual, refused to go quietly, saving four match points.
But it was all for naught, as Shnaider slammed the door with a pinpoint ace to move through to the second round. There she’ll face either Katerina Siniakova or Dayana Yastremska. She and Siniakova have split their two career meetings, both last season, with Siniakova winning their most recent battle in Wuhan. Shnaider leads Yastremska 2-1, including a win last year in Tokyo, though the Ukrainian beat her in straight sets at Roland Garros a few months earlier.
Other results: Kimberly Birrell beat Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 6-4; Marketa Vondrousova beat Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 4-6, 6-2; Tereza Valentova beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 3-2 (retd); Yulia Putintseva beat Dalma Galfi 6-4, 6-4.
