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Tennis sensation Emersen Jones seems to have earned a comparison to some Aussie tennis greats despite going down in straight sets to the sixth seed and Wimbledon star Elena Rybakina in her 2025 Australian Open main draw debut on January 14.
Notably, the 16-year-old won the first point of the game on Rybakina's serve, but that was only the time in the game that the young star held any kind of lead. She further held the first service match before Rybakina rattled off five straight to win the match.
Elena Rybakina defeated Emersen Jones in the first round of the 2025 Australian Open at the Melbourne Park on Tuesday and heads to the next round. The star player looked great in the 2025 United Cup but suffered defeat against Iga Swiatek-led Poland in the semifinal thriller. However, she made her terrific comeback in the first Grand Slam of the year.
Also Read: Australian Open 2025: Holger Rune goes past Zhizhen Zhang in first round
Rybakina after beating Jones at Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 14, 2025
“You hit 4 aces in a row.. pretty rough on a 16 year old” 💀
*Elena smiles*
Elena: “I lost my concentration. I was pretty quick to be 0-40. I knew I had to step up. Hopefully I continue like this.”
pic.twitter.com/4LF6oaRJ1s
Elena Rybakina's kind words for 16-year-old Emerson Jones
Elena Rybakina had kind words for 16 year old Emerson Jones after beating her at Australian Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 14, 2025
“How much homework did you need to do going into this match against a player who’s new on tour?”
Elena: Well I did. I watched her matches a bit. When you don’t know the opponent, I… pic.twitter.com/9ULLNv9bNa
Rybakina was asked about facing the new star in the first round. The 25-year-old tennis star revealed that she had watched her few matches and adjusted her shots to win the thrilling encounter.
"Well, I did. I watched her matches a bit. When you don’t know the opponent, I try to focus on myself. I know the serve is a big key in my game. I focused on that. I needed a couple games to get used to her shots. She’s very young, very talented. She has a great future ahead of her." Elena Rybakina had kind words for 16-year-old Emerson Jones after beating her at the Australian Open.
Also Read: Australia Open 2025: Taylor Fritz dominates Jenson Brooksby to win opening round