Emerson Jones Makes Tennis History with Epic Miami Open Victory
Rising star Emerson Jones has made tennis history with a clutch win over Linda Fruhvirtova at the multimillion-dollar Miami Open. Jones, just 17, dropped the first set but fought back to claim a 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) in just under three hours.
Historic Achievement for Young Aussie
The wildcard is in her first appearance at a WTA 1000 tournament and is the youngest Aussie to win a main-draw match at the level, the highest below the grand slams, since Jelena Dokic in 1999. Jones is also just the second woman born in 2008 to win a main-draw match in a WTA 1000 tournament.
The world No.147 edged out Fruhvirtova in a wobbly match that featured a total of 13 breaks of serve, with Jones saving 11 of 18 break points while converting six of her own 10 chances. The Aussie raced out to a 4-1 lead in the third set behind three breaks.
Thrilling Comeback and Emotional Finish
Fruhvirtova fought back and saved a match point to level it up at 5-5 before being just two points away herself on Jones’s serve. But Jones held firm to send it to a tiebreak, where she quickly trailed 1-3 but claimed six of the next seven points to seal an emotional victory.
The teenager dropped her racquet and sunk into a kneel before standing and briefly turning to compose herself. Her reward is a second-round clash with Australian Open semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, who had a first-round bye. Svitolina made a final in Dubai last month and reached the semis at Indian Wells last week.
Other Australian Results in Miami
Elsewhere among the Aussies in Miami, Talia Gibson continued her hot run with a 6-0 6-1 rout of Sara Bejlek. Gibson will face four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka in the second round, with the Japanese star seeking to bounce back from being knocked out of Indian Wells by world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Australian Kim Birrell went down to American Ann Li 2-6 6-2 3-6. There was also history on the men’s side of the draw at Miami with Moise Kouame becoming the first player born in 2009 to win an ATP Tour match.
Men's Side Highlights and Upsets
The 17-year-old Frenchman, like Jones, fought back from losing the first set to claim a 5-7 6-4 6-4 win over American qualifier Zachary Svajda. The wildcard became the youngest Miami match winner and the youngest ATP Masters 1000 winner since Rafael Nadal in 2003.
At a career-high world No.385, Kouame is the youngest player inside the top 900 and has soared to fourth in the Next Gen Race. Next up in Miami is Czech 21st seed Jiri Lehecka, as he looks to extend his dream debut.
But while Kouame marches on, Aussie Alexei Popyrin’s slow start to the year continued with a 6-4 6-4 loss to revitalised three-time grand slam finalist and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic. After cracking the world’s top 20 last year, Popyrin has only won two matches thus far in 2026.
James Duckworth also lost to a veteran, bowing out 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. In other matches, former French and Australian Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas beat French-born British qualifier Arthur Fery 6-1 7-6 (7-4) to set up a second-round showdown with Australia’s world No.6 Alex de Minaur.
World No.3 Iga Swiatek was a shock first-round loser in the women’s event, the five-time grand slam champ falling 1-6 7-5 6-3 to Polish compatriot Magna Linette.
