GB’s Jones takes Challenger title in Palermo

Francesca Jones defeated Anouk Koevermans 6-3, 6-2 in Palermo to win her second Challenger Tour title in a dominant display.

The 24-year-old will move up to 84th overall when the rankings are released on Monday, marking her first appearance in the top 100.

Jones, an England international, lost in the opening round of the US Open earlier this month, but he has since won four clay-based Challenger Tour victories. He is the fourth alternate for the main draw of the US Open in the coming month.

She served out the first set before breaking her Dutch opponent to take the 5-3 lead.

At the Palermo Ladies Open, Jones, who is undefeated, continued that momentum into the second and broke once more in the opening match before putting up a double break at 4-1 to seal the victory.

The Bradford-born player has never been outside the first round of a Grand Slam event and reached her first semi-final in 2023 with a hamstring problem.

With a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open, Leylah Fernandez won the tournament’s biggest victory of her career.

Fernandez broke again for 5-1 before serving out the first set after a double fault from Russian Kalinskaya, who gave her a break to take the lead 3-1.

As Canada’s Fernandez added another double break, helping her win the set in 40 minutes, Kalinskaya struggled with the humid conditions in the second half.

Fernandez won her first WTA 500 title and her first final appearance since losing at Eastbourne in June 2025.