Great Britain’s Fran Jones defeated her idol, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round of the Miami Open on Thursday.
Jones won in straight sets against Williams, 7-5 7-5, bowing to the 45-year-old great once her victory was confirmed.
Neither player was able to hold serve during the opening four games before Jones forced another decisive break to move 6-5 ahead in closing out the first set.
Williams, who had been handed a wild card for her 23rd appearance in Miami, regrouped to move 2-0 ahead at the
start of the second set, but the British No 4 battled back, breaking twice before serving out the match.
Jones, 25, wasn’t born when Williams won the first of her two Grand Slam titles in 2000 but the British hopeful – playing in Miami for the first time – spoke of her admiration for her and her sister Serena.
“If it weren’t for those two women, I’m not sure I would have made the step [to play tennis],” Jones said in her on-court interview. “They’re the reason that I’m here today.”
British No 4 Fran Jones beat her childhood idol Venus Williams in the first round of the Miami Open
Jones, who had been suffering with illness in the lead up to the match, told Sky Sports: “I wasn’t sure I was going to come out, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to play against Venus.
“I thought I’d missed that opportunity when I was 16 or 17 and she initially stopped playing. I’m really grateful I had the chance to get out here. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
On what she told Williams at the net after the match, Jones added: “I told her I said goodnight to you and Serena every night, because they’re on the wall of my childhood bedroom.
“At five years old, my dad took me to Wimbledon to watch the Williams sisters play. If it wasn’t for that experience, I don’t think I’d have pursued tennis the way I have.”
Jones’ path doesn’t get any easier as she faces American fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the second round as reward for her win over Williams.
As for British interest in the men’s draw, Arthur Fery suffered a straight-sets loss against Stefanos Tsitsipas, going down 6-1 7-6 (7-4).
Jacob Fearnley, meanwhile, had to retire hurt in his first-round match against Martin Damm after losing the first set 6-0.
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Highlights of the Miami Open match between Moise Kouame and Zachary Svajda.
Elsewhere, Moise Kouame made a name for himself on the world stage as the 17-year-old Frenchman became the youngest winner of a Masters 1000 match since a certain Rafael Nadal in 2003.
Kouame came back from a set down to beat Zachary Svajda 5-7 6-4 6-4 to make history in Miami, as the youngest player to ever win a match at the tournament.
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