Maya Joint extended her qualifier run at the 2026 Pan Pacific Open with a hard-fought 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win over Spain's Cristina Bucșa on Wednesday in Tokyo.
Maya Joint Bounces Back in Asian Swing Tournament
The 20-year-old world No. 94 has now won five straight matches at the Japan Open after entering the draw as a qualifier. She opened the week by ousting sixth-seeded Sorana Cîrstea before pushing deeper into the main draw.
Against Bucșa, Joint cruised through the opening set before the world No. 42 pulled even with a dominant second. Still, Joint found her footing in the third, converting on her third match point after Bucșa saved the first two on serve. Bucșa's seven double faults eventually proved costly, giving Joint free looks on break points throughout the deciding set.
The result also reversed a one-sided head-to-head. Bucșa had beaten Joint 6-3, 6-1 during last year's Hong Kong Open semifinals, making Wednesday's three-set comeback at Ariake Coliseum all the more satisfying.
After peaking at No. 28 in February, Joint has battled inconsistency for much of 2026. Tokyo marks her deepest run at a WTA 500 event this season.
And it continues in the WTA tournament's quarterfinal round where she'll face Ukraine's Kamilla Rakhimova on Thursday.
