Miami Open: Britain’s Fran Jones beats hero Venus Williams as Iga Swiatek suffers surprise defeat

Britain’s Fran Jones said it “meant everything” as she defeated her childhood hero Venus Williams in the first round of the Miami Open.

Jones cruised to a 7-5 7-5 victory over 45-year-old Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and the oldest player in the women’s singles draw.

It was the 25-year-old star’s first career WTA 1000 win, while it was Williams’ ninth consecutive defeat since her first-round win in Washington last summer.

Meanwhile, second seed Iga Swiatek was stunned by world number 50 Magda Linette, who won the set 1-6 7-5 6-3 in the second round.

With a bye in the first round, Swiatek lost her opening match at a WTA Tour event for the first time in 74 tournaments.

The reigning Wimbledon champion failed to reach the quarter-finals in all four tournaments she played in 2026.

“Tactically, I stopped doing anything well,” Swiatek said after the defeat of his Polish compatriot.

“It was a bad match for me in the second and third sets. It’s hard for me to say whether it was conscious or not. I have to work to come back from it because I haven’t felt things like that in about five years.”