US Open 2025: Francesca Jones prepares for first New York main-draw appearance

Having come through three rounds of qualifying in New York to reach the main draw, Jones was keen to call parents Adele and Simon, who are back home in the UK.

Why weren’t they watching their daughter in person? Because they could not get a dog sitter.

“My parents don’t get to travel with me everywhere so I made sure I can share those moments with them as soon as I can,” Jones told BBC Sport after sealing her place in the main draw in New York.

“I want them to feel as part of it as possible, considering how much they’ve sacrificed to give me opportunities.

“They’re not here because a dog sitter wasn’t available – the dogs come first!”

Jones was born with a genetic condition which means she has three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left.

Doctors told the Yorkshire-born player to forget about playing tennis professionally – but she beat the odds after moving to Spain as a teenager.

Learning her craft on the clay was a different path to many Britons, and her way into the US Open main draw has been typically unconventional.

Jones was the top seed in the women’s qualifying draw after just falling short of the cut-off date for automatic entry.

“I’ve always done things differently – so why should I change now?” Jones said.