British tennis player Francesca Jones came agonisingly close to victory at the Nottingham Open before falling to Australia’s Talia Gibson in the first round. 

Jones found herself a set and a break down but refused to go away, battling through physical discomfort and a medical assessment to force a deciding set in a match that lasted more than three hours. After recovering from an early break deficit in the final set, the Briton appeared on course for victory when she earned two match points while serving at 5-3. However, Gibson dug deep, broke back, and eventually held her nerve in the deciding tie-break to secure a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) win. The contest became the longest match of Jones’ professional career. She delivered 15 aces and landed an impressive 75 percent of her first serves while fighting through a series of physical issues.

At one stage in the second set, Jones appeared distressed and received medical attention as doctors checked her blood pressure and vital signs. Despite the setback, she returned to the court and battled her way back into the match.

Later in the deciding set, she required another medical timeout after appearing to struggle with a nasal issue, but once again continued competing.