Auckland Classic: Francesca Jones battles injury in comeback win over Sinja Kraus

British number three Jones broke into the top 100 last year by winning two WTA 125 titles; step below the main round.

Because he was born with a rare genetic disorder, doctors had previously told him he would not be able to play tennis professionally.

Jones has Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia (EEC), which means he has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on his right foot and four toes on his left.

Jones struggled with the hot conditions in Auckland but put up a good fight, saving nine of the 13 break points he faced to progress in just over two hours.

“It was unplayable at one and a half in the first set and I had a really hard time adjusting to playing during the day compared to at night. It’s a lot quicker,” Jones added.

Jones will play Chinese seventh seed Wang Xinyu for a place in the last four.