Serena Williams vs Maya Joint — 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3

Result

Australian Maya Joint ended Serena Williams's comeback in the first round, winning 6–3 6–7(6) 6–3 on Centre Court in 2 hours 21 minutes. Playing her first Grand Slam singles match since the 2022 US Open on a wildcard, Williams took the second set in a tiebreak before Joint reasserted control in the decider. Joint out-hit the American with forty winners to twenty-six and took the total points 115 to 103.

Serena Williams

Maya Joint

7Aces10

7Double faults5

59%1st serve in64%

68%1st-serve points won68%

46%2nd-serve points won50%

122 mphFastest serve106 mph

3/11Break points won5/11

26Winners40

37Unforced errors37

9/11Net points won5/11

103Total points won115

1513 mDistance run1630 m

Rows the source hadn’t published are left off rather than guessed.

At this Stage

The wildcard read Serena Williams, the occasion felt like far more than a first round, and Maya Joint treated it as neither. The Australian, ranked outside the top 80, won 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3 in 2 hours 21 minutes, ending Williams's first Grand Slam singles appearance since the 2022 US Open. Williams, 44, saved a match point and stole the second-set tiebreak — one last refusal in front of a Centre Court that wanted more — but Joint's forty winners kept coming. The reward was a last-64 meeting with No. 29 seed Alexandra Eala, since lost in three; the achievement was holding her nerve while the day belonged, sentimentally, to the other side of the net.

Alexandra Eala✓

Renata Zarazúa

Jun 29–30

6-1 6-2

Serena Williams

Maya Joint✓

Jun 29–30

6-3 6-7(6) 6-3

Alexandra Eala✓

Maya Joint

Jul 1–2

3-6 6-2 6-0

Round of 128

Alexandra Eala✓

Renata Zarazúa

Jun 29–30

6-1 6-2

Serena Williams

Maya Joint✓

Jun 29–30

6-3 6-7(6) 6-3

Round of 64

Alexandra Eala✓

Maya Joint

Jul 1–2

3-6 6-2 6-0

What we know now

Tale of the tape

Serena WilliamsMaya Joint

44Age20

5′9″ (1.75 m)Height5′6″ (1.67 m)

—Weight—

Right-handed, two-handed backhandPlaysRight-handed, two-handed backhand

1995Turned pro2024

—ATP rankingNo. 87

—2026 win–loss—

—Career on grass—

23Grand Slam titles0

Champion (×7)Best at WimbledonSecond round (2026)

—Coach—

Player vitals: ATP Tour player profiles and Wikipedia (career records) · as of 2026-07-09.

The briefing