- Fran Jones has a rare genetic condition that means she only has seven toes
- She had led Germany’s Ella Seidel 4-0 in the third set before she had to quit
- Emma Raducanu’s ideal return: Brit is handed favourable Australian Open draw
Britain’s Fran Jones needed to be helped off court by the physio after suffering an agonising cramp in her left leg when within sight of the Australian Open’s final qualifying round.
The GB No 7 was leading Germany’s Ella Seidel in the deciding set of their second preliminary round when she began to hobble, with her left thigh having completely seized up.
Jones had led 4-0, but quit after being given time violations when she was no longer able to play on with the score at 3-6, 7-6, 4-4.
The 23-year-old from Yorkshire, who has a rare genetic condition that means she only has seven toes on her feet, became unable to move after the German staged a late fightback on an afternoon that was warm at around 25 degrees but not excessively hot.
Her exit left freshly minted Brit Oliver Crawford as the only UK-qualified player to make it into the final qualifying stage after making the switch at the start of this year from representing America.
Fran Jones was forced to quit her match after being given time violations in Australian Open qualifying as she was struggling with cramp
Jones was born with a rare genetic condition that means she only has seven toes on her feet
He will meet Vit Kopriva of the Czech Republic for what would be a first main draw Grand Slam appearance after overcoming Italy’s Francesco Passaro 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, having had two match points in the second set.
Crawford, 24, was raised in South Carolina by parents who emigrated from Birmingham and has chosen to take advantage of his UK passport.
He has played on the Futures circuit since graduating from the University of Florida under the tutelage of Ben Shelton’s father Bryan, and has reached a ranking of 213 with a game featuring a serve that is delivered from an unusually short ball toss.
He said he had been welcomed by other British players, and is the only survivor after eight men and women started out in the preliminaries.
‘The other boys have been unbelievable,’ declared Crawford, whose accent is definitely more South Carolina than Brummie.
‘I’ve got to know them more in these few days. I mean, I knew them prior but just them accepting me and the camaraderie and and the culture that they’ve built is infectious and something I wanted to be a part of.
‘My parents are from Birmingham, born and raised. My whole family is over there. It’s only my parents and my immediate family that’s in the States. My grandmother, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone else and friends and things of our family are all in the UK. So I think that’s another big reason why I made the switch.’
Oliver Crawford is the final British player left in the qualifying draw and is one game away from the competition proper after a fairytale run so far
Crawford only recently made the switch from representing the US and trained under Ben Shelton’s father Bryan
An obvious attraction of being British is the potential for wildcards into Wimbledon and the like for someone who is a muscular baseliner with a decent all-round game.
However Crawford, who was watched in the stands by GB Davis Cup Captain Leon Smith and plans to train at Roehampton’s National Tennis Centre, denied that he was being opportunistic.
‘It’s not the case whatsoever. I’ve always believed in backing myself and one tournament a year is not going to make your career. So for me, this is me backing myself.
‘I can learn from people that have been at that level that have made the jump from my ranking to the top 100. And so that’s not the case whatsoever. It’s more so me just feeling that it’s the best way to develop my game and get the most out of it.’