Ash Barty has urged teen tennis sensation Emerson Jones not to try to be the next version of Barty and instead make a name for herself. The 16-year-old Jones will make her grand slam debut at the Australian Open and has already drawing comparisons with three-time major champion Barty.

The top-ranked player in the junior girls’ world rankings, Jones scored her first win over a top-50 opponent at the Adelaide International this week, with the Gold Coast youngster sweeping aside China’s World No.37 Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-0 in the opening round. The teenager lost 7-5 6-3 loss to third seed Daria Kasatkina in the second round, but gained plenty of admirers.

“It was a pretty intense match,” Kasatkina said post-match. “I’m really happy with how I was able to come back after a very quick beginning, let’s say, of the match. She’s got really good tennis, so I’m already a bit scared, to be honest. She’s just 16 (years old).”

But Barty has urged Jones to ignore claims she’s the “next Barty” and wants the 16-year-old just to be herself. The retired Aussie hero wants Jones to embrace her first appearance at a grand slam rather than be concerned about results.

“Be the best Emerson Jones that you can be,” Barty said at Melbourne Park on Wednesday. “Her game has a lot of developing to do. She’s only a young teenager, 16 years old, so her whole life is ahead of her, her whole career, so this is very much the infancy of where she’s beginning, so I’m excited for her.”

Ash Barty’s important message to Emerson Jones

Barty knows Jones will want to impress at the Australian Open after being granted a wildcard into the main draw, but hopes her fellow Queenslander can play without pressure and expectation. “Getting to know Emo 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,” Barty said.

“But I really do think this Australian summer is almost the perfect opportunity for her to soak it all in without that pressure. She will want to do well and want to play her best tennis but I think it’s about giving herself the opportunity to embrace it all and soak it all in.

“I hope she’s able to come out at this Australian Open and play with a smile on her face, play with freedom because that’s when she plays her best tennis, so fingers crossed she can have a really positive experience regardless of the result.”

Maya Joint stuns tennis world with win over World No.38

Jones is among a number of exciting young Australian women’s players bursting onto the scene. Another is fellow teenager Maya Joint, who scored two career-best wins in two days this week and a berth in a first quarter-final at WTA level.

The 18-year-old, currently ranked 118, thrashed World No.38 Magda Linette 6-1 6-1 in the second round of the Hobart International on Wednesday. It came after she beat World No.53 Olga Danilovic just 24 hours earlier, and pushed grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka at the Brisbane International last week.

Joint was ranked 773rd at the end of 2023, but surged up the rankings last year. She too is set to play her first Australian Open via a wildcard and is the second-highest ranked teenager in the world behind Russian 17-year-old and No.15 Mirra Andreeva.

Joint said the win over former Australian Open semi-finalist Linette, who is 14 years her senior, was the best of her career. “I feel really good. I’ve played two really great matches (in Hobart) so far and I want to keep going,” she said.

“I like being the underdog and have been trying to keep the pressure off myself. I really like that the season starts in Australia. The home crowd support is really special.”

with AAP