Maya Joint, who made such a spectacular first impression on Australian tennis last year, is ready to take to the court again in Rome following injury, hoping to emulate the success that transported her to national No.1 in 2025.
But Daria Kasatkina, who Joint supplanted as the country's top player last October, suffered a setback at the Italian Open on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) as she lost her first-round clash just three days after winning her first title as an Aussie.
The 20-year-old US-born Joint, who's had to deal with a back injury for the last two months, will be hoping to quickly remind everyone of her exceptional talent again after a false start to the year in which she's won lost eight and won only two of her matches.
