In her first training session at the ATX Open in Austin last month, weeks after injury put an end to her Australian Open, Francesca Jones found herself in an unusual, delightful situation. Her training partner across the net was none other than Venus Williams, the most successful active female tennis player.
Being able to train with such a legendary player was a dream itself, but Jones can now say that she has also defeated her, as she closed out a 7-5, 7-5 win over the 45-year-old seven-time grand slam champion in the first round of the Miami Open. The victory marks Jones’s first WTA 1000 match win in her career, breaking a four-match losing streak.
This 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 toughness by recovering to win the final three games of both sets after trailing 4-5 on serve each time. Jones will face the fifth seed, Jessica Pegula, in the second round.
Jones’s success is one of the most inspirational stories in world sport due to her genetic condition, ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia, which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand and seven toes. Her numerous surgeries meant she was unable to build a solid fitness base in her youth and, as she has tried to catch up as an adult, her young career has been ravaged by injuries that have kept her off the tour for significant periods and forced her to retire from countless matches.
Jones enjoyed a brilliant 2025 season, breaking into the top 70 after making great physical gains off the court, but her fitness troubles have continued. A tearful Jones had to retire from her first round match at the Australian Open. She is still recovering from her injuries at the start of the year. “It’s great for me to get a win. I’m struggling at the moment with my fitness and it has been a really, really tough year, so I just feel a little bit relieved,” she said.
After closing out her victory, Jones showered Williams with compliments while the pair embraced in a warm hug, an unusual sight for Williams with any opponent other than her sister, Serena.
Venus Williams was beaten in straight sets by Francesca Jones. Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA
For Williams, this defeat was her eighth loss in a row after winning her first match on her return to competition. 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 for continuing to compete lies in the fact that she is finally free of pain and able to enjoy playing tennis again after undergoing surgery in 2024 to address her uterine fibroids, which she has struggled with for 30 years.
Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and another strong audience was present, demonstrating why she continues to receive wildcards into so many events. With the tour soon heading to Europe for the red clay season, it is unclear where Williams will next appear.
Elsewhere, the 17-year-old Frenchman Moïse Kouamé became the youngest male player to win a Masters 1000 match since Rafael Nadal as he overcame cramping 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 significant attention this year for his excellent performances on the lower level ATP Challenger and ITF circuits, was congratulated by none other than Novak Djokovic after his victory. “I have a small 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 answer. I’m really so nervous. I don’t know what I’m going to answer.”
Carlos Alcaraz, the world No 1, will open his tournament with one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of the year. He will face the 19-year-old rising star João Fonseca, who reached the second round in front of a full, intense crowd with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Fabian Marozsan.