"Being seeded at your home tournament is something very special" - Maya Joint outlines major goals in 2026 after breakout campaign

Maya Joint is set to return to the Australian Open as a seed after an incredible breakout year onto the main stage. The 19-year-old is one of the brightest young players on the WTA Tour, and is ready to continue climbing up the pecking order.

The Aussie sensation has enjoyed some phenomenal results in the 2025 campaign. Her name is now firmly on the mind of many tennis fans, with her in the same category as other touted talents such as Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala.

The next step in her development would surely be a deep run in a Grand Slam event. She has only won two matches in her opening five major tournaments, both coming in the 2024 and 2025 US Open with first round wins. While these results are disappointing, Joint is hopeful that she can make it further than she ever has in her home competition.

"My goal would be to make the third round of a grand slam," Joint told AAP. "That's a big goal for next year. Just working on my own game, really. If I work on my own game then other goals will set themselves up."

Joint showed off her high ability on the court numerous times throughout the year. She won two titles in the WTA Circuit, the first coming in the Rabat Open against Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets. A more tense final in the Eastbourne Open against Eala saw heartbreak for the Filippino after four match points were squandered but delight for Joint who continued to make a name for herself.

"It's been a wild year. Everything went pretty smoothly," she stated. "I've just been playing some really great tennis and was backing it up and playing well on all surfaces, so I just hope next year can be the same."

All of these results have seen her shoot up the rankings. After finishing 2024 in 119th in the world, she not only broke into the top 100 but surpassed it by a large margin. She culminated in a hugely impressive world number 32. Currently sitting for a seed for her home Grand Slam is a major boost for her hopes of going deep into the event.

"It's definitely a goal that I have, and it makes things a lot easier if you're seeded, because you don't have to play a seeded player first round," Joint said. "And just being seeded at your home tournament is something very special."

Joint is also a very solid doubles player. In her campaigns in Rabat and Eastbourne, she made it to the final in the doubles event along with the singles. While she managed to complete an impressive double in Morocco, the same feat was not achieved on the Sussex coast.

She will team up with fellow Aussie Storm Hunter in the doubles category in Melbourne. It is a long-awaited return for Hunter who missed a large chunk of last season due to tearing her achilles. Hunter has huge experience in going deep in big events. She has won a Grand Slam in the 2022 US Open mixed doubles while reaching the Wimbledon final in 2023. She has also collected four WTA 1000 titles, showing her credentials in the sport.

"She can do anything," Hunter told AAP, in awe of her future teammate. "She's our top-ranked woman. She's only been on tour for one year. She's still so young. She can literally do anything."

However, she is not the finished product yet. "She's still got a lot to improve on her game," Hunter said. "The best thing about her is that she's just happy to go with the flow and everything's a new experience. She's not putting too much pressure on herself. She's enjoying just playing tennis and I hope that she keeps that joy and doesn't feel like she has to do more than she has because she's doing amazing. If she just keeps doing what she's doing, she's going to be fine and have an amazing career."

Joint will begin her 2026 season by making her debut in the United Cup alongside world numebr seven Alex de Minaur, taking palce from January 2-11. The highly anticipated Australian Open will soon follow after from January 18 - February 1.