Emerson Jones fell agonisingly short in her quest to become the first Australian to win the junior girls’ singles, going down 6-4, 6-1 to Renata Jamrichova in the final.
Jones, a 15-year-old from the Gold Coast, won two matches on Friday to progress into the final as she looked to become the first Aussie since Siobhan Drake-Brockman in 1995 to win the junior girls’ singles title.
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Sadly, it was not to be against the physically imposing Jamrichova.
Such was the difference between the two, Jamrichova’s average second serve speed of 150km/h was quicker than Jones’ first serve average of 144km/h.
It was an incredibly bright start from the Aussie against the No. 1 seed, producing a comfortable hold to start the game before breaking Jamrichova immediately after.
Chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” from fans eager to catch a glimpse at the next generation of homegrown tennis stars echoed around Rod Laver Arena after Jones held once more to consolidate her advantage and seal a 3-0 lead.
Jones would get another break point opportunity when 4-1 up when she produced a sizzling return off Jamrichova’s serve but the Slovakian snuffed it out.
From that moment on it was largely one-way traffic as Jamrichova flexed her dominance, breaking Jones to love in the ninth game.
Despite Jamrichova’s tidal wave of momentum, Jones fought bravely and even had a break point opportunity to make it 5-5, but she agonisingly let it slip after an unforced error brought an end to a thrilling 27-shot rally.
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Jamrichova needed no invitation to seal the set against the knackered Jones, firing down consecutive serve speeds of 177km/h to move one set away from the title.
Unfortunately for Jones, she couldn’t keep up with Jamrichova as the No. 1 seed broke the Aussie twice en route to a 4-0 lead.
Despite being far down on the scoreboard, Jones continued to hustle and chase the ball across the baseline, refusing to lie down and let the No. 1 seed enjoy easy points.
Jones fought off two break points for Jamrichova at 4-0 down to produce a crucial hold and even had a chance to break back to make it 4-2.
Sadly for the Queenslander it was not to be as the big-serving Jamrichova held on before producing one final break of serve to seal the win.
Jones understandably cut a devastated figure after the contest, but Jamrichova showed she was all class as she sat down next to the Aussie after the match and consoled her with a hug.
“This is just a beautiful moment, isn’t it?” commentator Jess Webster said.
“You don’t see this very often and it’s just a beautiful moment for both young ladies.”
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