Venus Williams faces Francesca Jones in the first round of the Miami Open as she looks to turn things around after a dismal start to 2026. The tennis legend is still searching for her first win in 2026 and will hope to end that drought on Wednesday. Jones is also on a 4-match losing streak heading into this one, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Venus Williams vs. Francesca Jones Match Details
Date: March 18, 2026
Tournament: Miami Open 2026
Round: First round
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, USA
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Williams vs. Jones Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between these two players, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0. Both players have endured a difficult start to 2026.
Williams continues to compete regularly on the WTA Tour at the age of 45 and has received a wild card for the Miami Open. Since her comeback in Washington last year, she has only won 1 singles match (in Washington in July).
Despite her winless run, Williams has pushed her opponents to 3 sets in 2 of her last 3 matches. She will hope to take encouragement from that against Jones, who has dropped down to 93rd in the WTA Rankings after a 2-4 win-loss run to start 2026.
The Brit defeated Emma Navarro in her first match of 2026 and made the quarterfinals in Auckland. But she has since suffered first-round exits at the Australian Open, ATX Open, and, most recently, Indian Wells.
Williams vs. Jones Prediction
Williams is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 7 singles Grand Slam titles to her name. She has been playing with great determination and resilience this year, even if results haven’t gone her way.
The veteran has won 60% of her service games this season but only 17.5% of her return games. She has often run out of steam during the latter stages of her matches, and the question remains whether she can still compete at the top level.
Jones will be looking to recapture the form and momentum that helped her reach the quarterfinals in Auckland. But she has been struggling with her serve this year, something that Williams might look to exploit.
PFSN’s Tennis Simulator is giving Jones a 65% chance of claiming the win over Williams, and we are backing the Brit to come out on top as well.
Pick: Jones to win in 3 sets.
