Maya Joint scored her highest-ranked win of the WTA season on Thursday, ousting 14th-seeded Sorana Cîrstea 6-4, 6-4 in Toronto to punch her ticket to the 2026 Canadian Open third round.
How Maya Joint Overcame Cîrstea's Early First-Set Lead
Cîrstea opened strong at 3-1, refusing to concede a single point on serve. Joint answered back, though, sweeping five of the following six games. Serving for the set at 5-4, she erased a break point and cashed in on her seventh set-point chance.
The second set followed a similar rhythm, just in reverse. Joint sprinted to 3-0, only to watch Cîrstea claw even at 3-3 after fighting off four game points. But the 20-year-old Australian didn't blink. She reeled off the final three games to seal the win.
The match clocked in at 93 minutes, with Joint converting five of eight break-point chances to keep her on-court time relatively short. The result matches her best ever showing at a WTA 1000 event.
Liudmila Samsonova, ranked No. 55, now awaits her in the third round, setting up a rematch of their 2025 Wimbledon meeting.
Thursday's win is another marker of Joint's turnaround on the WTA Tour. Her upset of Serena Williams at Wimbledon this year ended an 11-match losing streak. And she's won six of nine since.
