Britain's Francesca Jones made it back-to-back wins on the Challenger Tour by successfully defending her title at the Palermo Ladies Open WTA 125. The top seed battled past Fiona Ferro 6-0 4-6 7-6(8-6) in two hours and 43 minutes in a gripping final at the Country Time Club in Palermo, Italy.
The 25-year-old from Bradford produced a stunning opening set, wrapping it up in just 21 minutes as she dropped only three points across Ferro's three service games. The French seventh seed, however, responded impressively in the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead. Jones fought back to lead 4-3, but Ferro reeled off three consecutive games to level the match and force a decider.
The final set was a tense, high-quality affair with neither player willing to yield on serve. It came down to a tie-break, where Ferro earned a match point at 6-5. Jones saved it with a precise backhand cross-court winner, then won the next two points to seal the title — her fourth career Challenger Tour trophy and second in just eight days.