Francesca Jones successfully defends title in Palermo

Britain's Francesca Jones made it back-to-back wins on the Challenger Tour by successfully defending her title at the Palermo Ladies Open. The top seed beat Fiona Ferro 6-0 4-6 7-6 (8-6) in two hours and 43 minutes.

Jones, who had dropped one set all tournament, took the opener in just 21 minutes. The 25-year-old then fought back from 3-0 down to lead 4-3 in the second set, but Ferro reeled off three straight games to level the match. A tight deciding set went all the way to a tie break, where Ferro, the French seventh seed, spurned match point at 6-5, allowing Jones to close out victory.

This title marked her fourth career win on the Challenger Tour and second in eight days, following a victory at the ATV Rome Open. "We both deserved to win. It was a close match until the end, and we did everything we could," said Jones. Last week, she beat Anouk Koevermans of the Netherlands to win the title in 2025. With this success, Bradford-born Jones will rise from 113 to 110 in the WTA rankings on Monday.