Australian tennis player Maya Joint defeated Romanian Sorana Cirstea in a Pan Pacific Open match in Tokyo, Japan, and advanced to the tournament’s round of 16. Joint beat the sixth seed 6:3, 7:6 (7:4), ABC News reports.
Victory over a favourite
Before the start of the WTA 500 tournament, Joint was ranked 94th in the world — 78 places below Cirstea, who is world No. 16. In February, the Australian rose to a career-high 28th position, but her ranking declined during the year.
The victory in Tokyo continued a successful period for Joint. Last month, she reached the Korea Open final in Seoul, where she lost to compatriot Kim Birrell 4:6, 2:6. The title was Birrell’s first at WTA level.
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Next matches
In the round of 16, Joint will play Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, the world No. 42. In the previous match, Bucsa defeated France’s Diane Parry 7:5, 6:1.
Another Australian, Talia Gibson, who recently reached the final of a tournament in Singapore, defeated qualifier Daria Kasatkina 6:0, 7:5. Gibson won the first eight games in a row, but Kasatkina made her work in the second set. In the next round, the Australian will face eighth seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines.
At the tournament in Guangzhou, American Venus Williams lost to Austrian tennis player Lilli Tagger 2:6, 2:6. For the 46-year-old Williams, it was her 13th singles defeat this year. The 28-year age gap between Williams and 18-year-old Tagger may be a record for a WTA Tour match, the source notes.
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