A seismic victory over Serena Williams has given Maya Joint the belief she can continue her revival with another inspired US Open run.
After starting the 2026 season as Australian tennis's new golden girl, Joint endured a horror stretch of 13 losses in 14 matches, including 10 straight first-round exits between the Australian and French Opens.
The 20-year-old slumped from a career-high No.28 in the world to 87th and looked headed towards spiralling out of the top 100.