IT might not have been as smooth of a birthday celebration as she would have liked, but Tunisian Ons Jabeur still managed to stamp her ticket in tho the second round. Having turned 29 on Monday, the 2022 US Open runner-up had a tough opening round against rising Colombian youngster Camila Osorio, but got through it in two tough sets, 7-5 7-6.

It was not the perfect match for the fifth seed, who had to overcome breathing difficulties in the match to post the win, joking the struggles were age-related.

“I’m old now, that’s why I didn’t feel so good on the court,” Jabeur joked.

“She was playing unbelievable. At some points I didn’t have the best attitude on court. It’s not easy. She was getting me to run more and more. “I’m glad that I got the win, especially that I proved I can push myself to keep doing better on the court.”

Jabeur started the match strongly to win four of the first five games and look on track to record a comfortable win. But the young South American found a way to get back into it, and then hit the front with the next four games. Despite struggling with breathing and repetitive coughing, Jabeur fought through, and after seeking medical attention came back to win the final three games of the set and claim it 7-5.

Osorio was not going to let that first set slip-up slide, as she raced out again to a 3-1 lead which tested her older opponent’s fortitude. The Colombian hit some remarkable shots, but Jabeur had the answers and a never-say-die attitude. In the flash of an eye, the Tunisian had gone from a break down to a break up, with four consecutive games to lead 5-3.

The world number 68 did not die wondering, continuing to push the envelope, and her opponent’s will to force it into a tiebreaker. There, Jabeur had the extra experience and she was able to survive, winning it 7-4 in the tiebreaker, and then the match overall, 7-5 7-6 in two hours and one minute.

“She’s (Osorio) such a nice person, she asked if I was okay,” Jabeur said post-match. “I told her, ‘not really.’ She told me I’m such a warrior and I apologised for bringing the doctor on court. I didn’t do it on purpose.

“I know it’s tough sometimes to play someone who is injured or feeling bad. She took it really well and congratulated me for the match.”

The world number five hit 25 winners to Osorio’s 14, and only produced four more unforced errors (43-39) but was pushed to the extreme in her court movement, covering far more ground than her younger opponent. She now advances through to the Round of 64 where she faces another rising star of the WTA Tour, Linda Noskova on Friday.

Noskova won through to the second round thanks to a 6-2 6-1 smashing of American Madison Brengle in 52 minutes out on Court 12. The biggest upset of the day was Italian Lucia Bronzetti rolling 12th seed Barbora Krejcikova – who has lacked match fitness of late – winning 6-4 7-6, while another US Open runner-up in Leylah Fernandez bowed out to Russian 22nd seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova.