Retirement ends upset dreams for UK spolier Jones

Francesca Jones was unable to come good with a follow-up win after knocking out Venus Williams, with the British spoiler forced to quit her Miami Masters match against Jessica Pegula on Saturday.

The American who won the Dubai title three weeks ago, ran off nine of the first 10 games against Jones, who retired with illness trailing 6-1, 3-0.

Fifth seed Pegula will now play Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-1 winner over Oksana Selekhmeteva.

The 93rd-ranked Jones, who confessed that she had felt poorly during her defeat of Williams 48 hours earlier, needed a medical timeout against Pegula before eventually retiring.

Fernandez, the 2021 US open finalist against Britain;’s Emma Raducanu, went about reversing a dismal 2026 record of 2-7, finally winning back-to-back for the first time since Hong Kong five months ago.

Next up is the fourth edition of Pegula’s rivalry with Fernandez, and the second to take place in Miami following their second-round meeting in 2024. That was their first encounter, won by Pegula 7-5, 6-4, and the only one to end in straight sets.

Against Pegula, Fernandez won the most recent of their three matches (Washington last summer) after losing a three-hour quarter-final in 2024 at Cincinnati to the American billionaire heiress.

“Leylah and I always seem to have really intense matches,” Pegula said. she said. “We all know that when she gets hot and she’s playing confidently it can be really tricky, especially against a lefty.”