JACOB FEARNLEY survived a delay for on court FLOODING and the loss of the opening set to march on at the Australian Open tennis.
The 23-year-old Scot recorded one of the biggest wins of his career when he took care of home favourite Nick Kyrgios in the opening round at Melbourne Park.
Britain’s Jacob Fearnley celebrates victory over France’s Arthur Cazaux[/caption]
Jacob Fearnley hugs France’s Arthur Cazaux after winning his second round match[/caption]
Britain’s Jacob Fearnley hits a shot against France’s Arthur Cazaux[/caption]
And he’ll now lock horns with No 2 seed Alexander Zverev in the third round after backing it up with an impressive 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win over Frenchman Arthur Cazaux.
Fearnley, who hit with Roger Federer as a Junior and has recorded Futures tour wins against the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, has had no shortage of potential for years.
But it’s taken a stint out at Texas Christian University in the United States for him to kick on and start delivering at the sharp end of the tour.
Now ranked No 77 in the world, he’s climbed from 645th this time last year and that ranking only seems likely to continue rising.
The 23-year-old’s professional tennis education has been going at warp speed and it’s the first time the Scot, who only left college in the United States last spring, has made the last 32 at a grand slam.
Fearnley would have been expecting a more low-key atmosphere than the cauldron he faced on John Cain Arena on Monday but Melbourne Park’s Court 6 has a bar for spectators on one side and the fans settled in for the evening were eager to have a good time.
At least the Scot had a good proportion of the support this time, while there was also a lively section cheering on Cazaux, who knocked out 28th seed Sebastian Baez in round one.
The contest got off to a false start as rain swirled around Melbourne Park, Cazaux winning two games amid several delays before the players were forced off.
When they returned, Fearnley quickly found himself 5-1 down but he retrieved one of the breaks to get himself into the match and from there the momentum swung.
He began to overpower the slight Cazaux, using his forehand to great effect, and, once he had broken serve to take the second set, Fearnley kept control of the contest to become the first British player through to round three.
He held his head in his hands when his opponent netted on match point to chants of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole – Jacob, Jacob’ from a raucous support out in Melbourne.
Fans on social media are loving his rise, whose first ranking just inside the world’s top 1800 was only a remarkable 17 months ago.
One fan wrote: “we’re not talking about jacob fearnley enough… this is crazy.”
A second wrote: “Is this one of the quickest rises in tennis history? This has to be up there.”
A third said: “He is the same age as my eldest son and they went to swimming lessons together as young kids. He was always competitive in any sport but he was lethal when you saw him pick up a tennis racquet. Great guy – hope he goes right to the top.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
