Great Britain’s Francesca Jones has reached the main draw of Grand Slam for the first time in her career after defeating China's Lu Jiajing in the final round of Australian Open qualifying in Dubai.

The 20-year-old overcame Lu 6-0 6-1 to ensure she will compete at next month's Australian Open in Melbourne, which begins on 8 February, having dispatched Croatia's Jana Fett and Monica Niculescu of Romania, a former Top 30 player, in earlier qualifying rounds. 

Jones was born with Ectrodactyly Ectodermal Dysplasia and has previously spoken with itftennis.com about her rare condition, which has caused her hands and feet to develop abnormally.

She has three toes on her right foot, four on her left and three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Despite the challenges the Briton has had to overcome, she is determined that her condition will not define her.

As she makes clear in the embedded video (above), Jones is adamant the hurdles she has had to clear have made her the player and person she is today. She is fiercely ambitious and hopes to change people’s perspectives on what is achievable in life.

Needless to say, an appearance at the Australian Open will be a major staging post on this journey.