Queenslander Emerson Jones Falls Short in Australian Open Girls’ Final

Queenslander Emerson Jones, the daughter of Olympic medal-winning triathlete Loretta Harrop, has finished runner-up to Slovakian top seed Renata Jamrichova in the girls’ final of the Australian Open.

Jones, 15, went down 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday at Melbourne Park.

Coached by David Taylor, the long-time former mentor to grand slam champion Samantha Stosur and other stars including Alicia Molik, Martina Hingis and Naomi Osaka, Jones is considered one of the next big things in Australian tennis.

Her mother won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and her 17-year-old brother Hayden made the quarterfinals of the boys’ Australian singles this week.

Jones described her experience playing on Rod Laver Arena as amazing and thanked her supporters while congratulating Jamrichova on her victory.

The Gold Coast teen’s hopes of becoming the first Australian girls’ singles champion in nearly three decades were dashed, but Jones remains optimistic about her future in tennis.

With her current ITF junior ranking at No. 8 and WTA Tour ranking at No. 797, Jones plans to play a mix of junior and professional events this year as she aims to improve her rankings and perform well at the junior Grand Slams.

Jones’ older brother, Hayden, also a promising young player, made a notable run in the boys’ singles competition at the Australian Open 2024, reaching the quarterfinals.