Serena Williams vs Maya Joint LIVE: Wimbledon 2026 scores and updates as tennis legend returns at age of 44

A 122mph ACE from Williams! Now she gets set point! Incredible. How does Joint respond!

She’s close to an ace, but out. A gripping rally… Joint is pushing but Williams holds on… JOINT GOES LONG AND WILLIAMS FORCES A THIRD!

WOW! Match point saved and the 44-year-old is still fighting!

Williams finds the first serve… Centre Court holds its breath… Williams powers the forehand winner! Match point saved!

Joint rattles out two quick points after drawing errors from Williams. Back on serve, she finds accuracy. An ace out wide and she moves ahead once more! If Joint loses either of the next two points, Williams will have set point on serve.

Joint gets Willams moving, switching the direction of her groundstrokes. Williams slices into the net. Then she blasts the backhand return wide. Instead, it will be match point to Joint!

An error from Williams on the first point, putting a short forehand into the net. But Joint then goes long on the return. Williams returns the favour: long on the forehand. First serves will be crucial for Williams here. She finds one, then powers the forehand winner down the line!

A hold from Joint sends us into a tiebreak. Williams stumbles a little chasing after the Joint winner, directed past her. After that epic last game, this is far simpler for the Australian. An ace out wide is followed by another. Love-hold. TIEBREAK!

Williams, pushed slightly wide, nets on the forehand. Another break point, Williams is slo close to the line on the second serve, so is Joint on the return. This is gripping, but Joint fires long!

Another deuce…. How Williams would love a big first serve now, but Joint is generous enough to miss the return. On game point, Joint steadies and puts the forehand past a standing Williams.

Williams cracks the backhand winner – now she finds a first serve! Joint goes out, and Williams holds on! Four break points saved, and she’s still fighting! That was just pure grit.

Oh no. That’s a bad time to make a double fault from Williams! Joint then steps up and cracks the return, which Williams slumps into the net.

Three break points. Williams saves the first but may be tiring, she can’t find the first serve. Joint squirts a backhand return wide. Another saved.

Another return missed by Joint! Williams is hanging on and gets back to deuce.

Another miss from Joint – this coming while the room for the forehand winner was open.

This would be some escape… Williams thinks the ball from Joint landed long… some of the crowd did too. But no, she nets and Joint hangs on.

Joint takes a deep breath, steps up to the baseline, and fires a series of first serves which Williams can’t return. Back level.

For the first time in the second set, Williams LEADS. Joint cracks a backhand into the net and Williams has won back-to-back games to edge in front. Huge pressure now on Joint, who must hold serve to stay in this decider.

Oooh this is electric now.

I wonder how the match would have gone had Williams been this aggressive in the first set. She starts by cracking a backhand return, then following in to put away the volley.

Two errors follow from Williams and she shrieks in frustration, but then she produces another crisp backhand return. It’s followed by an error from Joint and Williams will get another break point chance.

Joint knifes the backhand down the line…. but there’s Williams to put away the volley!