Australian teenager Maya Joint has fallen short of reaching the Hong Kong Open final after she was surprisingly beaten in straight sets by Cristina Bucșa.

Although it was a disappointing result for Joint, Bucșa produced an impressive performance to beat the Australian women's number one, 6-3, 6-1, and advance to her first WTA 250 final.

There was better news for one of Joint's predecessors as the top-ranked Australian player, Kimberly Birrell won the longest match of her career, defeating Taiwanese Joanna Garland, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 7-5, to reach the Chennai Open final. Loading Twitter content

Joint, 19, has enjoyed a stellar year, highlighted by tournament wins in Rabat and Eastbourne.

She was favourite to beat the 68th-ranked Bucșa on Saturday and led 3-2 after five games without a

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