Maya Joint believes the hectic aftermath of her sensational triumph over Serena Williams may have ended up helping derail her adventures in Wimbledon wonderland. As Alex de Minaur, typically, ended a Thursday second-round programme as the lone Australian winner, Joint couldn’t hide her disappointment that her inspired form deserted her after another searing start as she succumbed in the second round to rising Filippino star Alexandra Eala.
De Minaur Leads Australian Charge
After main man de Minaur had seen off potentially troublesome French veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-2 6-2 on Thursday morning, the 20-year-old former Aussie No.1 Joint took to the same court 3 with high hopes of building on her monumental first-round victory over returning seven-time champ Williams. But faced by another big crowd again screaming largely for her opponent, Joint’s initial coruscating form disappeared tamely as Eala, a young heroine in the Philippines, roared back to defeat her 3-6 6-2 6-0.
With James Duckworth and Kim Birrell later both being defeated by seeded players, it left the now-familiar old firm of de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina as the last two Australians standing in the third round of the singles out of the original 13-strong contingent.
Joint's Sleepless Nights After Williams Win
US-born Queenslander Joint had grabbed global headlines for her three-set defeat of 44-year-old Williams on Centre Court, but was left stunned by the huge worldwide reaction and had a sleepless preparation for the Eala match. “I’m not entirely sure what happened,” admitted Joint. “I think the last couple days had something to do with it, there was a lot going on about that one match, so I could have done a better job of trying to let go of that first match and then focusing more on the second. Alex lifted her game in the second, and I kind of hesitated, backed off a little, and then gave her the chance.”
Eala, defeated by Joint in an epic final on the Eastbourne grass last year, proved a different proposition to Williams, who’d ended up struggling physically, the 21-year-old reeling off the final nine games to prevail in three minutes under two hours. Joint had the match on her racquet, striking 37 winners in all with her crisp ball-striking, but it all started to unravel in the second set as the Australian got almost too gung-ho, making 41 unforced errors. With each one, the volume from the legion of Filippino fans who follow their ‘Alex’ everywhere began to crank up.
Joint Reflects on Extraordinary Week
But Joint wasn’t about to be too disheartened after her extraordinary few days. “It was a bit different to what I’ve experienced before,” she admitted. “I got a lot of messages that I haven’t replied to yet, just a lot of attention. I think the questions will continue to be about that match, even after this tournament is done. I haven’t really slept. Tried to go to sleep after the match, but just too much adrenaline.” “But this is the furthest I’ve ever gotten here, and I had a pretty amazing Centre Court experience, playing one of the greats. There was a lot of attention, and I’m proud of the way I handled it. I have a lot of positive things to take from this tournament. I’m going to try to learn from the experience of this defeat, but not get too upset about it.”
De Minaur Cruises into Third Round
Earlier, de Minaur needed just one hour 49 minutes to see off the often tricky 38-year-old left-hander Mannarino. He wasn’t at his best, but didn’t need to be as he set up a third-round meeting with American Zachary Svajda, who defeated de Minaur’s recent Rosmalen final conqueror Kamil Majchrzak 2-6 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3. The rising world No.66 Svajda won’t be a pushover for ‘Demon’, having recently knocked out two Australians, Alexei Popyrin and Adam Walton, at the French Open.
“I’m very happy with a very clean performance today. I think going in, it was a very tricky match-up, and I did what I needed to do,” said de Minaur. “There were some tough moments here and there, but my serve got me out of trouble in certain key moments. I just love it here and I’m hoping I can stay here for a long time.”
Duckworth and Birrell Exit
Duckworth, also on court 3, found French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli too tough, but only after giving the charismatic Italian No.9 seed a run for his money in a 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 defeat. Queenslander Birrell also couldn’t cope with the veteran Romanian No.17 seed Sorana Cirstea in their evening clash, losing 6-3 6-4 in 71 minutes.
