It was a day to remember for British star Francesca Jones at the Miami Open, as she earned a maiden WTA 1000 win over none other than Venus Williams. The British No. 4 has hailed Williams as one of her inspirations, and they enjoyed a practice session together in Austin last month. After spending years idolising the Williams sisters, Jones had the chance to play one of them and beat the 45-year-old wildcard 7-5 7-5.

Afterwards, Jones bowed to the tennis icon before approaching the net for their handshake. They enjoyed a warm embrace, and the 25-year-old had the seven-time Grand Slam champion in stitches with one special message.

“You have to respect them. Someone on my team worked with her for quite a while, and we hit with her a month ago,” Jones told Sky Sports immediately after beating Williams.

“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. It was honestly, at five years old, my dad took me to Wimbledon to see the Williams sisters player and if it wasn’t for that experience, I really don’t know whether I would have pursued tennis in the way I have.”

It was a tough match for both women. They twice traded breaks to start the first set, but Jones got a crucial break at 5-5. The Brit then came back from an early break down in set two and again broke at 5-5, allowing herself to close out a 7-5 7-5 victory.

The world No. 93 later admitted that she likely wouldn’t have had a third set in her. She’s been dealing with an illness in Miami – she was heard coughing during the match – and questioned whether to take to the court altogether. However, she couldn’t miss the chance to face her childhood hero.

She explained: “I think, for me, I had to go after it. I’ve not got the best fitness right now, I’m doing what I can. Third sets aren’t where I want to be at the moment. For me, it was either go big or go home. I mean, honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to come out, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to play against Venus. That’s something that – I thought I missed that opportunity when I was 16, 17, when she initially retired – well, she never officially retired, but she stopped playing. To have that opportunity inspired me to get out here.

“I actually just couldn’t stop smiling and she came out in that jacket and I was like, ‘It’s Venus!’ They started doing the announcement, like world No. 1, all her gold medals, the Grand Slams. I actually just stopped to applaud because I was like, ‘There’s not much I can do here, I’ve just got to take it in’.”

Things will only get more difficult for Jones, who now faces No. 5 seed and last year’s runner-up Jessica Pegula in the second round. As for Williams, her time in Miami isn’t over, as she has entered the doubles draw with Leylah Fernandez.