Maya Joint looked awfully cool and composed in her 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over American Sofia Kenin in the first round of the Adelaide International.
But looks can be deceiving.
Asked during her on-court interview after the match if she’s as composed in her everyday life as she is on the court, she gave a refreshingly honest answer.
“I didn’t think I was very composed,” she said with a laugh. “No, I’m not very calm. I’m not a calm person.”
She was then asked what kinds of things bug her away from the tennis court.
“A lot of things,” the 19-year-old Australian said, to more laughs from the hometown crowd. “People walking slowly in front of me. I play a lot of cards with my coach — when he wins, that makes me pretty annoyed.”
Joint didn’t have much to be annoyed about on Tuesday evening, as she defeated Kenin for the third time in three tries in front of a packed crowd. Joint had 25 winners to just 14 unforced errors, and came from 4-1 down in the second to win in straights.
It was Joint’s first win of the season following two group-stage losses at the United Cup last week.
“I was a bit nervous,” the World No. 32 admitted after the match. “I really wanted to get my first win of the season. I was making a couple unforced errors. I was struggling a little bit on my return. She was also hitting her spots on her serve, playing pretty good tennis today. I’m just glad I was able to find a way.”
Next up for Joint is countrywoman Ajla Tomljanovic, who advanced after fifth-seeded Clara Tauson withdrew before the start of the second set with a lower back injury.
They’ve played three times before, with Tomljanovic winning two of them.
The winner of that match will play third-seeded Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.