Aussie 'Ginger Ninja' Maya Joint slays Serena again
Australian tennis giant-killer Maya Joint has beaten the great Serena Williams for the second time in two months, both wins coming on tennis's biggest stages.
Maya Joint and Serena Williams were both born in Michigan - but that’s where the comparisons end.
Williams is a 23-times grand slam singles champion, arguably the women’s tennis GOAT - greatest of all time - with on-court earnings of $US94,816,730 and life documentaries aplenty.
Joint is yet to reach a grand slam second week with $US2,290,793 banked from her first three full years on the WTA Tour.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But Serena is 44 these days, Joint only 20 and money can’t buy the place the young Australian will forever enjoy in the tennis history books.
For the second time in as many months, Joint took down Williams on one of the sport’s grandest stages on Saturday (AEST).
Proving lightning can strike twice, Joint and Taiwan’s Hao-Ching Chan ousted Serena and 46-year-old Venus Williams from the US Open doubles with a party-pooping and pulsating 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 10-7 win over the superstar sisters.
“I’m lost for words to think that that happened,” Joint said.
“She’s an idol of mine - both of them are. I looked up to them growing up. I mean, I grew up in Michigan, so I always looked up to them so just to be able to play them twice is amazing. Awesome.”
The epic victory, despite some 24,000 New Yorkers cheering every Williams winner and jeering their opponents’ every loser, came after Joint’s seismic three-set Wimbledon win over Serena abruptly ended the American legend’s brief singles comeback.
Winners of 14 grand slam doubles crowns together, plus three Olympic gold medals as a once-untouchable duo, Serena and Venus were the hottest ticket in town on Friday night.
But their last US Open triumph together came 17 years ago.
And in the end of a titanic three-hour, two-minute tussle, it showed as world sport’s most successful siblings returned to Flushing Meadows as a double act for the first time since a similar 2022 cameo and only second time in more than a decade.
While the ferociously competitive sisters displayed more than just flashes of brilliance, and plenty of raw power, the relative youth of Joint and Chan ultimately exposed the frayed nerves of the combined 90-year-old team.
While Joint, the self-styled “Ginger Ninja” won seven of her eight service games, Serena faltered when it mattered most as the 14th seeds battled back from 5-0 down in the deciding match tiebreaker to deny the sisters.
As they say, Father Time remains undefeated. And now, in Serena’s case, Mother Time remains winless against Maya Joint.
Originally published on AAP
