'Didn't really affect my preparation': Maya Joint dismisses setback, credits opponent after AO loss
- Christian Montegan
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Having entered the 2026 Australian Open as the only Aussie woman seed, Maya Joint's run has ended early after a straight sets defeat on John Cain Arena.
The 30th seed, who was seeking her maiden singles main draw win at Melbourne Park, bowed out 4-6, 4-6 to 18-year-old Tereza Valentova.
The last Aussie woman to earn a seed next to their name in the singles draw was Ash Barty when she won the tournament four years ago.
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Yet, Joint made it clear to reporters that being the top-ranked Aussie female had nothing to do with her defeat, as she downplayed pressure as a factor.
"Yeah, I've gotten a lot of questions on that, and honestly, the seeding didn't really feel anything different than to a normal tournament. I wanted to do really well here. I thought I had a good chance. So it's definitely a bit disappointing," Joint explained.
She had her United Cup campaign interrupted by illness, which forced her to sit out of Australia's opening match against Norway.
Although it was unideal, Joint managed to play five matches in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
"I mean, it was unfortunate timing that I got sick during that first match, but I was feeling fine then again for Adelaide, and I was feeling good. So I think it didn't really affect my preparation, I don't think, that much," she said.
One of the main talking points over the past 24 hours has been American Michael Zheng's five-set victory in round one, meaning he is ineligible to pocket his A$225,000 prize money because of NCAA rules preventing the 21-year-old student from Columbia University.
Joint was in a similar situation after her first round main draw win at the 2024 US Open, but when asked about Zheng's situation in her press conference, she refused to comment.
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