Francesca Jones Qualifies for US Open After Emotional Call Home

Francesca Jones Qualifies for US Open After Emotional Call Home

Francesca Jones secured a spot in the US Open main draw for the first time in her career, immediately celebrating by phoning her mother back home in the UK – who couldn’t attend because she couldn’t find a dog sitter.

The 24-year-old Briton sealed her place at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2 6-4 victory over Dutch opponent Arianne Hartono in the final round of qualifying.

Joy and Sacrifice Behind the Achievement

Jones, ranked world number 86, was the top seed in the qualifying draw after narrowly missing the cut-off for automatic entry. She has risen into the WTA’s top 100 this year following back-to-back victories on the WTA 125 circuit in France and Italy.

Her path to the US Open has been unconventional. Born with a rare genetic condition that left her with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, as well as altered toes on both feet, Jones was told as a child that she would never play tennis professionally. Instead, she moved to Spain as a teenager to hone her game on clay courts.

“My parents don’t travel everywhere with me, so I made sure I shared this moment with them as soon as I could. They’ve sacrificed so much. They’re not here because the dogs come first!” Jones told BBC Sport.

From Wimbledon Disappointment to New York Redemption

Just weeks ago, Jones suffered heartbreak at Wimbledon, surrendering a strong position against Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in a three-set defeat. Instead of dwelling on the loss, she bounced back immediately with two title wins on the secondary tour.

“Wimbledon was extremely hurtful, but I decided to use maturity and experience. I wanted to be efficient and do what was best for my career.”

British Representation in New York

Jones joins fellow Britons Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter, and Sonay Kartal in the women’s singles draw. She also pockets $110,000 (£81,238) in prize money for qualifying, as she awaits her first-round opponent.

On the men’s side, British qualifier Billy Harris fell short in the final round, losing 6-3 6-4 to Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong, leaving Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, and Jacob Fearnley as the British men’s singles representatives.

Jones now looks to convert her inspiring story into a breakthrough performance on the Grand Slam stage.