Source : ABC NEWS
Australia’s Maya Joint has reached her first WTA Tour final just days before making her French Open debut.
Playing on clay in the Moroccan Open semifinals in Rabat, Joint advanced to the tournament decider after compatriot Ajla Tomljanović was forced to withdraw after the first set due to illness.
Joint, who is ranked one place higher than Tomljanović at 78 in the world, had asserted her authority by taking the first set 6-4.
But Tomljanović’s withdrawal at the end of the set still came as a surprise to her opponent and the crowd.
“It’s never the way you want to win. Ajla’s a good friend,” 19-year-old Joint said.
“But we play each other [in the] first round in Roland Garros next week, so we’ll be able to try this again, but I hope that she can get better quickly.
“I was definitely feeling a bit nervous having to play her, but we’re both professionals. We both have good game styles, so I knew it’d be a good match.
“I started off pretty well, really feeling my shots, and she was coming back and testing me.
“But I’m glad that I was able to pull it out in the end of the set.”
Joint will play unseeded Romanian Jaqueline Cristian in the final.
Cristian defeated Colombia’s second seed Camila Osorio 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4 in their semi.
US-born Joint could climb as high as 53 in the WTA rankings if she beats Cristian in the final.
She has already tasted success in Rabat, winning the doubles final alongside Georgia’s Oksana Kalashnikova.
Meanwhile, Daria Saville has qualified for the French Open main draw in Paris.
Saville got past American Taylor Townsend 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the final round of qualifying.
She is one of seven Australians among the women’s main draw for the second major of the season.
There are nine Australian men contesting the French Open singles, led by world number nine Alex de Minaur.
AAP/ABC
