M. JOINT/M. Inglis
6-3, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: How does it feel to get that win under your belt in an arena you know really well?
MAYA JOINT: Thank you, yeah. I train a lot at Pat Rafter, here at the Centre. It means a lot that I got to play in front of my home crowd. I felt pretty comfortable on the court. I tried to take confidence from that.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Your start was incredible. Is that down to the fact that you're so familiar in the surroundings or you just felt good?
MAYA JOINT: Yeah, maybe. I felt pretty good when I went out there. I was pretty nervous. Yeah, I thought about how I had practiced on that court a lot over the last couple weeks, tried to take from that.
Q. Certainly didn't seem like you were nervous. You looked in the zone. Is that part of a routine of getting into matches so quickly?
MAYA JOINT: I think the sunglasses help because you can't really see all my face. But I was pretty nervous.
Q. You know obviously who you're playing next, Victoria Azarenka. Will you draw on any of the experience you had facing Madison Keys at the US Open, a player of that sort of caliber?
MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I'm really excited to play her. Yeah, I'll think back to my Madison Keys match. That was a great experience. I hope I can play well again.
Q. Did you learn anything from that match that you could take forward when you face bigger-name players again?
MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of things that I saw that I needed to improve in my own game to be competitive with those sorts of players.
Yeah, so I'll see how that goes tomorrow or whenever I play her next.
Q. Your goals for the summer, I assume a top 100 berth is something you're eyeing as well?
MAYA JOINT: That will be a big goal next year.
Q. A bit more on Azarenka. Someone you grew up watching, I assume. How confident are you that you can trade it with her probably on Pat Rafter again?
MAYA JOINT: I'm just really excited for the matchup. I had seen the draw beforehand. Definitely motivated me to win this match more. I'm just excited to see how my game matches up against hers.
Q. The chance to go up against someone of that caliber ahead of a first Aussie Open for you. How important is that foundation for you leading into Melbourne?
MAYA JOINT: Yeah, this tournament is super important. It's the beginning of the season. I'm glad I got a good win under my belt. I'll take confidence from that.
She hasn't played a match yet this week, so... We'll see how it goes.
Q. Now that you've experienced winning in a Grand Slam as well, do you feel well set coming into this summer?
MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I'm excited. It will be my first main draw Aussie Open. I can take confidence from my US Open main draw win, so...
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports