Emerson Jones admitted she was experiencing mixed emotions after recording a runner-up finish in the Wimbledon 2024 girls' singles competition.
"Obviously I'm pretty disappointed," said the 16-year-old following a straight-sets loss to top-seeded Slovak Renata Jamrichova in today's final at the All England Club.
"That's the second Slam final I've lost to her, she's playing a bit too good right now. But I played well, so I can't really complain. I made the final of junior Wimbledon, so that's pretty exciting."
Jones, who had been aiming to become just the fifth Australian to win a Grand Slam girls' singles title in the past 30 years and only the third Australian to triumph at Wimbledon in the Open era, relished the opportunity to play at No.1 Court.
"It was pretty great, there was a big crowd," she said. "The court was a bit worn down, so there were some dodgy bounces, but I was training on some dodgy courts back at home."
| Grand Slam girls' singlesMost recent Australian champions | |
| Champion | Event |
| Trudi Musgrave | Australian Open 1994 |
| Siobhan Drake-Brockman | Australian Open 1995 |
| Jelena Dokic | US Open 1998 |
| Ash Barty | Wimbledon 2011 |
The 17-year-old Jamrichova, who since defeating Jones in the Australian Open 2024 girls' singles final has won two ITF professional singles titles, came out firing. She tallied 13 winners and committed only a single unforced error in a dominant opening set.
The tenacious Jones kept fighting, building a 3-1 advantage in the second set.
"Her serve was tough to handle, but the second set I felt like I got myself into it a bit more," Jones said.
However, the big-hitting Jamrichova managed to win five of the final six games to triumph 6-3 6-4.
With this victory, Jamrichova improved her season record in junior Grand Slams to 15 wins from her 16 singles matches.
Despite her loss, the third-seeded Jones still created history with her Wimbledon performance.
It is the best result for an Australian girl at the tournament in 13 years and sees her become the first Australian since Jelena Dokic in 1998 to reach two Grand Slam girls' singles finals in a single season.
Asked what she was most proud of from a memorable tournament, Jones said: "My effort to keep myself calm".
"This whole week I've been mentally pretty good," said Jones, who was a semifinalist in the girls' doubles competition. "And just the way I've been playing, I'm pretty proud about that."
Jones now plans to return to Australia for a training block ahead of the upcoming US Open. She then hopes to test herself on the professional level in some Australian Pro Tour events later in the season.
Aussies in action - Wimbledon
RESULTS
Girls' singles, final
[1] Renata Jamrichova (SVK) d [3] Emerson Jones (AUS) 6-3 6-4
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