Week 16 - ITF ($15K) - Villa Dolores, Argentina Clay

blob · All-time great

Week 16 - ITF ($15K) - Villa Dolores, Argentina Clay

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

Fran takes it into a decider on her 3rd set point. 4-6 6-4

Peter too · Tennis legend

F: JONES, Francesca (GBR) 664 def BOSIO, Victoria (ARG) 7 597 4-6 6-4 6-2

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Well done, Miss Jones !

blob · All-time great

Who is this Brit that goes and wins titles on the mud like South American clay?

Francesca's second title, both on the devil dust in South America.
I'm struggling to find another recent female Brit that had two or more pro singles titles before their 18th birthday (Laura and Hev arguably could have if they played a different schedule, but didn't)

Edit: Katie Swan is about it - she had 4 titles prior to her 18th birthda, the last two coming in the consecutive weeks immediately before the week she had her eighteenth birthday. There may be other; not many.

-- Edited by blob on Saturday 21st of April 2018 07:46:46 PM

paulisi · Tennis legend

Eleanor Dean???

blob · All-time great

paulisi wrote:
Eleanor Dean???

Good instincts: after Fran & Katie Swan, she came closest of anyone I checked. Eleanor was 1 month past her 18th birthday when she won her second title in February 2014.

indiana · Tennis legend

the addict wrote:
Jaggy1876 wrote:
Looks like we have found our GB #10 in waiting....
You could well be right, but there's still a bit of a gap to make up. Another couple of good tournaments should do it !

Yay Fran

For now, moving onto 44 points for Monday week, should be into the top 600, GB #16, and closing on the world's top 20 ranked under 18s.

Another couple of future titles should get her into the top 500 at any rate ( current WR 500 is on 65 points ). She only has 2 points to drop off ( on 28/05 ) before late August.

Michael D · All-time great

Congrats to Fran, how wonderful to see. smile smile

And for someone who only turns 18 mid-September, she is certainly capable of winning one or two more tournaments before then. Still for now, revel in this a glorious second win for her on the red dirt. It will be fascinating to see how she progresses, including in terms of the types of tournaments she plays.

At the moment, people like Maia, Eden, Freya, Beth (in terms of singles), are getting a bit stuck trying to make the transition from 15k to 25k tournaments, with all of them struggling to pick up more than the odd main draw win at 25k level. Maia's run to the Glasgow 25k F in early Feb was the exception, but she hasn't won a MD match since then.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Fran I think falls into a different group of players more the Gabi Taylor, Katie S and B group in terms of potential if she can stay fir, it is very exciting to have her hopefully pushing hard on Katie S' s heels. She has made a conscious decision to stop playing juniors at 16 (with a very decent rank of 30) ie after Junior Wimbledon last year. She could have stayed on and made the top 10 but there seems little point unless it is combined with strong LTA support, the results she has had since turning pro verify her decision.

It would be very interesting to see if she chooses to come back and play RG juniors if she were to have that option but I presume her junior rank doesn't allow it but perhaps we will see her have a last junio hoorah on the grass at Wimbledon?

Jaffa · Challenger level

I still cant get round the fact she has those problems with her hands and still does so well. A true insiration.

Congratulations Farn.

Mervatron2 · Futures level

Great stuf Fran.

Well done.

indiana · Tennis legend

Jaffa wrote:
I still cant get round the fact she has those problems with her hands and still does so well. A true insiration.

Congratulations Farn.

Indeed I can't help thinking that those problems must ultimately be more of an issue to overcome in tennis than say Dame Sarah Storey has in cycling. Significantly more disability yes but essentially find a comfortable position and it's very much about the legs.

Just saying though clearly Sarah has great achievements in disability sport, both swimming and cycling.

Indeed Sarah is ( or at least was ) very competitive against international able bodied cyclists, and again I just somehow think that less remarkable than what Fran is achieving.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 22nd of April 2018 05:14:11 PM

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Fran also has similar problems with her feet.

It is truly amazing.

vohor · Grand Slam Champion

Congratulations Fran; wonderful stuff :D