Second seed Ons Jabeur suffered a major scare against world No.98 Tamara Zidansek in the first round of the Australian Open but prevailed 7-6(8) 4-6 6-1.
The intense first set lasted 68 minutes and both players had three set points, the difference being that Jabeur converted her third to edge Zidansek in a tiebreak. Two-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur went from a break down to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, but Zidansek crawled back to 4-4, earning a crucial break when the Tunisian netted a backhand. In the ninth game, Zidansek saved a set point and the battle continued into a tiebreak.