An asthma attack left the Tunisian tennis player in tears as she fought hard during the second round.

Ons Jabr was in tears during his Australian Open match against Camila Osorio after suffering breathing problems three games into the match, but the Tunisian bravely booked a place in the third round.

The 30-year-old three-time Grand Slam finalist, who suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury last year, is aiming to return to the top but was reduced to tears during Thursday’s match as she struggled with asthma.

The former world No. 2 slipped to No. 39 due to health issues and was forced to withdraw from several tournaments last year, including the U.S. Open and the Paris Olympics.

Jabeur ended her season in September and will not resume competition until early 2025. She said long periods of absence left her vulnerable to asthma-related problems.

“When I was younger I was diagnosed with asthma, so taking a long break didn’t help. I think it angered her even more,” she told reporters after her 7-5 6-3 victory over the Colombian.

When the three-time Grand Slam runner-up slumped in his chair, coughing and pounding his chest after leading 2-1 in the first set, a routine victory seemed unlikely.

Jabr, who wiped away tears before leaving the court to receive medical attention, went on to win despite not being at her best for the rest of the match.

“It’s a tough fight,” Jabbour said.

“It was very, very difficult to breathe.

“I had to not play long rallies. I was playing Camilla. It’s not the best opponent when you’re in this state, but I apologized at the end of the game because I really didn’t want to perform on the pitch. It has to be like this.

“I tried to manage. Luckily, I played really well. It really cheered me up. If I had lost the first set, it would have been difficult to continue.”

The two-time Wimbledon runner-up, who is trying to become the first African and Arab woman to win a Grand Slam title, says she is not yet 100 per cent where she needs to be to return to the top 10.

“But it’s happening,” she said.

“I don’t want to get greedy when I come back from injury. Sometimes I get angry because I feel like I’m back to where I was before, but every time something happens.”

2020 Australian Open quarter-finalist Jabr will face American eighth seed Emma Navarro in the next round.

Jabbour said she doesn’t usually talk about her asthma.

“You know, we have to manage as usual,” she said.

“I think I have to find a way to feel better for the next two days and I hope to do that because this thing started two or three days ago. I feel like for some reason the situation became Worse.

“I’m really just going to take it a minute at a time and see how things go, but I’m definitely going to prepare as best I can.”

She will have a tough third-round clash with Navarro, who defeated China’s 108th-ranked Wang Xiyu in three sets.

Jabr’s only previous meeting was on the clay courts of Navarro’s hometown of Charleston in 2022, winning 6-3, 6-2.