Francesca Jones defeats Venus Williams in Miami for WTA 1000 breakthrough | Tennis
During her first practice session at the ATX Open in Austin last month, a few weeks after an injury ended her Australian Open, Francesca Jones found herself in an unusual and delightful situation. Her training partner on the net was none other than Venus Williams, the most successful active female tennis player.
Being able to practice with such a legendary player was a dream in itself, but on Thursday afternoon, Jones can now say she also beat one of the game’s great legends by closing out a 7-5, 7-5 victory over the 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion in the first round of the Miami Open. The win marks Jones’ first victory in a WTA 1000 match of her career, ending a four-match losing streak.
It was an intense battle that Williams, a three-time Miami Open champion between 1998 and 2001, could have won. It took two tight, frantic sets for Jones to find a way through. The 25-year-old showed her mental strength by recovering to win the final three games of both sets after being down 4-5 on serve each time. Jones’ victory allowed her to face one of the best and fittest hardcourt players in the world as she faces fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the second round.
After a difficult start to the season, it was a useful victory for Jones, whose body remains his biggest rival on the field. She began the 2026 season trying to follow up the best year of her career by entering the top 70 with excellent performances at the WTA 250 and WTA 125 levels.
It’s impossible to tell Jones’ story without mentioning her genetic condition, ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia, which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand and a total of seven toes. Her young career was ravaged by countless injuries that kept her sidelined for long periods of time and forced her to withdraw from countless matches. Her success in 2025 was largely due to the physical gains she made off the court, but a tearful Jones had to withdraw from her first round match at the Australian Open. She hopes that a first victory since January will be the start of a positive series.
After closing out her victory, Jones showered Williams with compliments as the pair embraced in a warm embrace, an unusual sight for Williams with an opponent other than her sister, Serena. For Williams, the loss was her eighth loss in nine matches since returning to competition last summer. The American won her first match against world number 35 Peyton Stearns before losing the rest of her matches.
She has been competitive against quality players in almost every one of these affairs, but these results are a natural consequence of her age. Williams has repeatedly said that her motivation to continue competing lies in the fact that she is finally free of pain and able to return to enjoying playing tennis after undergoing surgery in 2024 to treat her uterine fibroids, which she has struggled with for 30 years.
Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and another large crowd was in attendance, demonstrating why she continues to receive wildcards for so many events. With the tour soon heading to Europe for the red clay season, it is unclear where Williams will appear next.
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Frenchman Moïse Kouamé became the youngest male player to win a Masters 1000 match since Rafael Nadal by overcoming cramps to defeat Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and reach the second round at the Miami Open.
Kouamé, a French wildcard who has received particular attention this year for his excellent performances on the lower-tier ATP Challenger and ITF circuits, was congratulated by none other than Novak Djokovic after his victory. “I have a little secret,” Kouamé said during an interview with Tennis Channel. “After the win, Novak texted me. I’m so nervous. I don’t know what to say. I’m really so nervous. I don’t know if I’m going to answer.”
