Rising Aussie teenager Maya Joint has secured a shock semi-final berth at the Hobart International after destroying 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
Joint needed just 62 minutes to defeat Kenin 6-3 6-1 in Thursday's quarter-final showdown on centre court.
The 18-year-old Australian wildcard will take on second seed Elise Mertens in the semi-finals after the Belgian defeated Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 0-6 6-2 in a topsy-turvy clash.
"It's crazy. I feel really good right now," Joint said after her singles win.
"I'm just so excited to be in the semis. I can't wait to play again."
Joint has dropped only 11 games across three matches at the Hobart International, beating world No.53 Olga Danilovic, world No.38 Magda Linette and former world No.4 Kenin along the way.
Her win against Kenin was arguably the finest of the lot given the calibre of opponent, with Joint striking 18 winners to 13 and converting five of her seven break-point chances.
Kenin committed a whopping 29 unforced errors in the windy conditions, almost double that of Joint (15).
Born in Michigan to an Australian father and a German mother, Joint switched allegiances to Australia as a 16-year-old in 2023.
Ranked No.773 at the end of that year, Joint has rocketed to No.118 since then, and recently got to have a hit with her childhood hero, Ash Barty.
"That was just amazing. That was the first time I met her, and I was so nervous. She's the nicest person," Joint said.
"I asked her about media, because I get kind of nervous. And I asked her about backhand slices, because mine isn't quite the standard as hers."
Joint is hoping to go all the way at the Hobart International.
After that, world No.7 Jessica Pegula awaits her in a tough opening round at the Australian Open.
Joint set the tone from the outset against Kenin on Thursday, snaring two early breaks to race out to a 5-1 lead in the space of 20 minutes.
A combination of some stunning winners from Joint and some poor unforced errors from Kenin led to the lopsided scoreline.
Kenin fought back with a break and a hold of her own, but Joint held her nerve to take the first set in 33 minutes.
After committing 14 unforced errors in the first set, Kenin's error-riddled display continued in the second.
Joint snared the early break, then saved a break point herself before breaking Kenin again to surge to a 5-1 lead.
Kenin's spirit was crushed by that stage, with Joint earning another break to wrap up the one-sided victory.
Meanwhile, third seed Amanda Anisimova pulled out of her quarter-final due to illness, gifting Elina Avaneysan a free passage through to the final four.
She will next take on world No.67 McCartney Kessler, who upset No.1 seed Dayana Yastremska 7-5 6-4 to book her own semi-final berth.
