Queensland talent Emerson Jones becomes the first Australian in 13 years to reach a Wimbledon girls’ singles final.
London, Great Britain, 14 July 2024 | Leigh Rogers
When Emerson Jones celebrated her 16th birthday at Wimbledon earlier this week, it proved quite forgettable.
“Waiting around the courts all day because it was raining, that was all I did,” she said.
Thankfully, it has turned into a more memorable birthday week for the Gold Coast teen.
Jones continued her impressive progression in the Wimbledon 2024 girls’ singles competition today, scoring a 7-5 6-1 victory against American Iva Jovic in the semifinals.
“It was a really, really exciting day,” said an elated Jones, after surviving a spirited challenge from the sixth seed to triumph in 85 minutes.
A tight first set was full of momentum swings. Jones won the first three games, then the 16-year-old Jovic claimed the next four.
“I played pretty solid at the start and she definitely upped her game,” Jones noted.
At five-all, Jones reeled off eight consecutive points to secure the opening set.
She maintained her momentum by holding in a marathon opening game in the second set, where she saved five break points.
“That was such a long game and I was thinking ‘I probably need to get this game, because whoever wins this game is probably going to be better mentally’,” Jones related.
After building a comfortable second-set lead, Jones admitted her nerves were high as she tried to close out the match.
“I just thought ‘I’ve got to keep my head, I can’t think too far ahead’,” she said after failing to convert her first three match points. “(I was trying to) just focus on where I was going to hit the ball.”
She eventually clinched victory with a backhand winner, her 31st winner of the match.
With this effort, Jones becomes just the seventh Australian to progress to a Wimbledon girls’ singles final in the Open era and the first to reach this stage in 13 years.
| Wimbledon girls’ singles Australian finalists in Open era |
|
| Player | Year |
| Lesley Hunt | 1968 |
| Debbie Freeman | 1980 |
| Susan Leo | 1980 |
| Jenny Byrne | 1985 |
| Kirrily Sharpe | 1990 |
| Ash Barty | 2011 |
| Emerson Jones | 2024 |
Only two Australians – Debbie Freeman (1980) and Ash Barty (2011) – have gone on to win the title.
Jones will be looking to add her name to that exclusive list when she meets top seed Renata Jamrichova in a rematch of this year’s Australian Open girls’…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis.com.au – Tennis Australia…