Nottingham Open: Francesca Jones misses two match points in loss to Talia Gibson

Britain’s Francesca Jones missed two match points in a narrow defeat to Talia Gibson in the first round of the Nottingham Open.

Jones fought back from set, a break and a medical timeout to force a deciding set against Australia’s Gibson.

After suffering an early break in the third round, Jones fought back and held two match points as he served for a 5-3 victory.

But world number 66 Gibson fought back and held firm in the tiebreak after a grueling three hours and six minutes, winning 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-4).

Jones competed well in the longest match of his career, hitting 15 aces and making 75% of his first serves.

He also felt uncomfortable twice, especially when he sat with his head under a towel and took deep breaths after breaking to start the second set.

The doctor was called to the court to check his blood pressure and vitals, and Jones went ahead and pulled Gibson back, eventually making for a tight second set.

The 25-year-old took another medical timeout at 5-5 in the third set as he appeared to be struggling with a nose problem.

Earlier in Nottingham, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen fought back to beat Maria Sakkari 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-4.

Queen’s finalists Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter withdrew from the tournament on Monday.