Among the first-round pairings revealed in the Brisbane International draw, one match quickly became the talking point. Emerson Jones, the former junior World No. 1, came into the tournament buzzing with confidence and home-crowd support. She opened her campaign against the 38-year-old Tatjana Maria, a seasoned pro who lifted the 2025 WTA Queen’s Club trophy. But against the 17-year-old Aussie, the veteran was pushed to her limit.

On Monday, Jones made her WTA 500 main draw debut in thrilling style, defeating Maria 6-3, 6-3 in front of a roaring home crowd at the Pat Rafter Arena. Interestingly enough, the match marked the largest Tour-level age gap between two players in four years (21).

Just six months ago, she was competing in the Wimbledon junior draw. Now, she looked every bit ready for the big leagues.

Aside from receiving wildcards into the WTA Adelaide event and the 2025 Australian Open, most of Jones’ experience has come on the ITF circuit and from two appearances at the Canberra Challenger. Ranked No. 147, she’s proving that her attacking game belongs at this level, once more.

Last year in Adelaide, she impressed early by taking down Xinyu Wang in the first round. A year later, what stands out is how much more composed she looks compared to 2024. Expectations have climbed, but Emerson Jones isn’t letting the hype weigh her down. She knows these first steps are part of a much longer journey.

“I don’t really put too much pressure on myself,” Jones confessed during the press conference, “And there’s no pressure here to win the tournament. I’m just really excited to play. My goal this year is to improve my ranking and try to believe in myself, that I can win a couple of rounds in these opportunities I’m being given.”

Last year, Emerson Jones broke through at the Tour level. She made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, falling to Elena Rybakina in the first round. She also pushed through qualifying at Wimbledon (out in the final round to Diane Parry) and the US Open (to Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva). Jones capped the year with a career-high ranking of No.150 in December.

But her ascent started even before. In 2024, she tackled the Australian Open qualifying and reached the first round at the WTA 125 Canberra event, then grabbed her first ITF title at the W75 Sydney. Jones began her pro journey on the ITF circuit in 2023 at just 14, making her debut in Hobart.

Now, at the Brisbane International, she’s made it past a seasoned player like Maria. But her journey was shortlived, although it’s not holding her back!

Emerson Jones opens up following loss to world No.17

On Wednesday, the 17-year-old Aussie lit up the court with flashes of brilliance. However, it wasn’t her victory to take as she fell 6-4, 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova in the second round. Facing her second top-20 foe ever, Jones battled for a 3-0 lead in the first set. She seemed to pick up right where she left off against Maria, as she took over rallies and made Samsonova work for it on the baseline.

But this time experience won out and Samsonova turned the tide fast. She went on to win 12 of the next 14 games to storm into the round of 16. Jones fought hard but couldn’t quite stem the surge. Still, she walked off with some valuable experience under her belt.

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“I think [my Brisbane International campaign is] going to give me more confidence than anything, to be honest,” she said post-match. “Winning these matches, even if they’re first round [matches], definitely gives me confidence because that was my second top-50 win of my life and [today] was my second time playing a top-20 player.”

“The experiences, knowing that I’ve played these women before and that level. I definitely think I came into the match knowing how they play, and it gives me the confidence knowing the level.”

Jones has skyrocketed since her tough 2025 summer, especially that eye-watering 6-1, 6-1 Australian Open wipeout against Elena Rybakina, who fired 26 winners to just six. Now, she’s locked in on her second shot at the Australian Open starting January 18. Can she crash the main draw and stun the field? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!