Aussie teen tennis star breaks Ash Barty's record

Joshua Mayne

Aussie teen tennis star breaks Ash Barty's record image

Young gun Maya Joint has broken a tennis record held by Ash Barty since 2017.

The 19-year-old has officially become the youngest Australian to claim a win at WTA 1000 level.

Joint won her two qualifying matches at the Madrid Open before defeating Spanish wildcard Carlota Martinez Cirez 6-2 2-6 6-4 in the first round of the main draw.

WTA 1000 (or 'Masters') events are the most prestigious tournaments on the women's tennis calendar aside from grand slams, with winners earning 1000 ranking points.

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The now-retired Barty previously held the record as the youngest Aussie to win a WTA match at that level, having earned a victory at the 2017 Miami Open at 20 years and 330 days old.

Joint has eclipsed the former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion's feat, winning in the Spanish capital aged 19 years and five days.

It was the teenager's second WTA 1000 match after losing in the opening round of March's Indian Wells to Sorana Cirstea.

The Michigan-born talent will now take on No. 11 seed Emma Navarro in the second round of the Madrid Open on Thursday evening (AEST). 

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Joint – currently ranked No. 78 in the world – is set to receive direct entry into Roland-Garros next month. 

It will be her maiden main draw appearance at the French Open. 

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News currently based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and a journalist at Ministry of Sport. Joshua specialises in rugby league, motorsport and tennis. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again.