British No 4 Fran Jones’ rise continued as she sealed a first career WTA 1000 main-draw win, a 7-5, 7-5 victory over American legend Venus Williams in Miami.

The 25-year-old has had a difficult start to the year hampered by illness and injury and was still sick as she took to the court for their first-round encounter.

But she demonstrated her potential with her first top-20 win at the ASB Classic in January, when she beat world No 15 Emma Navarro, and produced more fine tennis to see off Williams despite the tough, humid conditions.

Jones, who has the rare genetic condition ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-cleft syndrome (EEC) and was born with a thumb and three fingers on each hand and seven toes, has earned a reputation for tenacity in her short senior career so far and it was on display again in Miami.

She paid tribute to Williams after triumphing in an hour and 50 minutes, with Jones bowing to her at the net and the pair – who practiced together in Austin last month – sharing a warm embrace, with the American wishing her luck.

“All I could focus on was how good Venus looked when she walked on court with her silver jacket!” Jones said afterwards. “I just tried to focus on myself, I’ve had a tough year so far, lots of injuries and illnesses – I was worried I was going to make a legend sick, so glad to get through it.

When she was told the back of Williams’ jacket read ‘Gamechanger’, Jones added: “I’m glad I didn’t see the back of the jacket otherwise I would have been intimated!

“I just told her, ‘I say goodnight to you and Serena every night because you’re still on the wall of my childhood bedroom’. She just laughed. We know each other well enough for me to make a couple of jokes. But no, there’s a lot of truth to that. I genuinely still have her on my wall, and I’m so grateful to have that chance.

“I was told I wouldn’t be able to play tennis when I was younger. At five years old my dad took me to Wimbledon to see the Williams sisters play and if it wasn’t for that experience, I really don’t know whether I would have pursued tennis in the way I have. They’re the reason I’m here today. To have that win against [her] means everything.”

The pair traded breaks of serve twice early in the first set, with Jones inching ahead with a break for 2-1 before a sloppy service game and a double fault allowed Williams to level.

The pair were well-matched despite their 20-year age gap, with Jones struggling to break down the veteran’s powerful and pacy game.

Jones, the world No 93, served her first ace to hold for 5-5 and grew in confidence in the latter stages of the first set. Williams aimed to shorten the rallies as much as possible but Jones remained patient, eking out a break point chance as Williams netted, before forcing a wild error from her opponent with a moonball to the back of the court.

Jones then held her nerve to serve out the first set, with Williams producing too many loose errors, including a poor shot long with Jones on the back foot on set point.

After a 47-minute first set the second was tigther, with Jones unable to break despite battling to deuce in Williams’ first service game, and paying the price as the seven-time grand slam champion immediately broke for a 2-0 lead.

Jones’ frustration was evident with an eye roll up to the heavens, but she continued to work every corner and angle of the court, pushing Williams from side to side and lashing in an excellent return to take her fourth break point chance to trail 2-1.

From there the Bradford native was able to inch ahead, saving two break points in the next game and breaking again at 5-5, closing out a 7-5 second set in over an hour.

She will play another American, world No 5 and the 2025 runner-up Jessica Pegula, next.