Maya Joint played and won the biggest match of her young career to end the Wimbledon singles comeback of the legend Serena Williams in a Centre Court thriller.
Joint, who had never won at Wimbledon before and had entered The Championships on a run of 11 Tour-level defeats dating back to January, registered 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 win over the seven-time champion. She will next faces Alexandra Eala.
Serena saved a first match point in the second-set tie-break and then led by a break in the decider. She defied time with an accomplished display but could not tame Joint’s spirit. The 20-year-old Aussie stood up to Serena's power and broke her legendary serve five times before ultimately outlasting her. She also sent down 10 aces.
At 44, Serena was the second-oldest woman to play in the Wimbledon women’s singles in the Open era after 47-year-old Martina Navratilova in 2004.
"I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura. She is such a legend and this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this was pretty crazy," said Joint in her on-court interview.
"I think the toughest part was just trying to come out on court and play a match against her. The start was nerve-wracking. Trying to finish out the match as well, I think she definitely lifted her level. She played some great tennis there," she added.
"I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura. She is such a legend and this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this was pretty crazy," said Joint in her on-court interview.
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Serena did not address reporters after the match but left a statement that was distributed to the media. "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."