Wimbledon 2026 pages

Sports · Wimbledon 2026 · Women's Singles · Round of 128

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

Maya Joint6666
Serena Williams373

Final · Monday, June 29, 2026 · Round of 128

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.

WCWilliams
Joint
6–36–7(6)6–3
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

Stats: Official wimbledon.com match statistics (IBM) · as of 2026-07-09

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.

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

Court: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London

Match length: 2:22

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

Storylines

  • Williams, 44, returned to Grand Slam singles on a wildcard, her first such match since the 2022 US Open.
  • Williams saved a match point and forced a deciding set by taking the second-set tiebreak.
  • Joint, ranked outside the top 80, advanced to the second round.

Head to head

This was their first career meeting, and Joint leads the head-to-head 1–0.

Source: WTA head-to-head · as of 2026-06-29.

Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London — grass.

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