Emerson Jones has demonstrated why she’s being touted as the next big hope of Australian women’s tennis after becoming the first home-based teenager since Ash Barty to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon girls’ championship.
Back in 2011, Barty went on to lift the junior title and the 16-year-old Gold Coast prospect Jones is now hoping to emulate the great Queenslander following her effortless run to the last-four.
Former grand slam winner Kim Clijsters was among the crowd watching on impressed as Jones outplayed Poland’s Monika Stankiewicz 6-2 6-3 on Friday in under an hour, meaning the third seed has breezed through her four matches at SW19 without dropping a set and for the loss of just 15 games.
Not that the youngster was remotely fazed by having such a distinguished figure at courtside. “I did notice, but I tried not to,” she said.
“I just tried to concentrate on my match because sometimes, actually a lot of the time, I lose concentration and then that doesn’t go well. So I just tried to focus on me.”
She did so admirably – and not just in the singles.
Jones, who says grass is her favourite surface because the faster courts and shorter rallies suit her style, is also into the girls’ doubles semi-final after partnering Italian Vittoria Paganetti to a 6-3 6-3 win over Japan’s Reina Goto and Spain’s Ruth Rura Llaverias.
No Australian has reached the semi-finals in both events in the same year for 34 years since Kirrily Sharpe in 1990.
It will mean a busy Saturday too for Jones, as she faces American sixth seed Iva Jovic in the girls’ semis, before she and Paganetti, the sixth seeds, face Jovic and her compatriot Tyra Caterina Grant in the last-four of the doubles.
It’s turning out to be another big week for Jones, who only turned 16 on Sunday. As a 15-year-old back in January, she became the first Australian girl to make the junior singles final of her home Open in 16 years and at Roland Garros last month, she reached the doubles semi-finals with Paganetti.
Source Agencies
