Ashleigh Barty is urging Emerson Jones to just relax and enjoy her Australian Open moment despite “the next Barty” comparisons that are being placed on the rising star.
This week, the 16-year-old clinched her first WTA Tour victory at the WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide.
And not only that she won her first main draw match, but came in style since she stunned top-50 player Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-0.
Emerson Jones© Emerson Jones/Instagram – Fair Use
After upsetting world No. 37 Wang, Jones also competed extremely well against world No. 9 Daria Kasatkina before the Russian sealed a 7-5 6-3 win.
With her Adelaide run, the promising star drew positive attention to herself ahead of the Australian Open, where she is set to make a debut as a wildcard.
However, her recent success also led to some comparing her to Australian tennis icon Barty.
When asked about it, the former three-time Grand Slam champion urged the public to allow the 16-year-old to create an image for herself.
Barty: Be the best Emerson Jones that you can be
“(The extra attention) is certainly a different beast, and I think getting to know ‘Emmo’ a lot more over the last couple of years, she’s a very driven person – she’s passionate, she wants to do well, she’s focused, she’s professional,” the former world No. 1 said, via news.com.au.
“I really do think that this Australian summer is almost the perfect opportunity for her to soak it all in and enjoy it without that pressure.
“I think it’s ‘be the best Emerson Jones that you can be’. Her game has a lot of developing to do, she’s only a young teenager.
“Her whole life is ahead of her, her whole career is ahead … I’m excited for her.”
Meanwhile, the Australian wildcard is set for an extremely tough opener as she is set to meet world No. 6 Elena Rybakina.
Jones beating Rybakina isn’t that realistic but just competing well against the Kazakh would be a major success for the 16-year-old.
Tennis World USA