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Great Britain’s Jacob Fearnley continued his impressive Australian Open debut as he came from a set down to defeat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux and book a mouthwatering match against World No 2 Alexander Zverev in the third round.
Fearnley subdued a hostile atmosphere to beat Nick Kyrgios in the opening round and he continued his incredible rise by beating Cazaux 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3 following a rain delay, in what was just his fourth ever match at the grand slam level.
The 23-year-old Scot was the World No 646 this time last year but shot up the rankings after turning professional last season, breaking into the world’s top 100 to qualify for the Melbourne grand slam.
Fearnley said his straight-sets victory over Kyrgios was the best win of his career, playing in just his third grand slam match after taking a set off Novak Djokovic in the second round of last year’s Wimbledon.
The Scot said keeping his composure was key to landing the victory over Kyrgios, and his calm attitude on court also played a part in his comeback victory over Cazaux on Wednesday.
Fearnley was born in Scotland and grew up in Dalkeith, just outside of Edinburgh. He was brought up by mum Samantha and credits his grandparents for getting him into tennis at the age of four or five as he first picked up a racket in their back garden. He went to Merchiston Castle all-boys boarding school in Edinburgh, where he began to develop as a junior tennis player.
Fearnley was a top-ranked junior and competed in the same ranks as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner when he was 15, even claiming wins against two players who would go on to become grand slam champions. His reputation as a junior allowed Fearnley to hit with eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer at the Championships when he was 17.
Instead of turning pro, Fearnley opted to go to college in the United States at Texas Christian University and combined his work on the tennis court with studying for a degree in kinesiology. He described going down the college route as “the best decision I ever made” and although injuries disrupted some of his progress at TCU he finished his five years there with the national championship.
Because of his time in the States, Fearnley admits his Scottish accent is “nowhere to be seen” but it is starting to come back now he has left college. “When I went to college in 2019, I lost it very quickly,” he said. “I don’t really know how that happened. I’ve kind of been out of college for seven, eight months now, been around a lot of British people. I think that’s maybe why it starts coming back.”
Fearnley’s big breakthrough arrived after leaving college and on his return to the UKand the start of the grass-court season. As a qualifier, he defeated fellow British players Dan Evans, Billy Harris and Charles Broom to win his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Nottingham, a result that earned him a wildcard for the Wimbledon main draw when he was initially hoping to just make qualifying.
Since Wimbledon, Fearnley played four more events on the Challenger Tour and won three of them to break into the world’s top-100, even earning himself a place in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team.
“It’s obviously not what I expected,” Fearnley told the Press Association in October. “It came definitely faster than I expected but I put in a lot of hard work so I think it’s not too surprising that I was able to reach this level. It’s a great feeling and I’m really happy with the way things have gone.
“I’m aware this maybe isn’t the norm so I’m definitely trying to stay in the moment and not let too many thoughts and too much of what is happening outside of the court get to me. It’s very difficult to do.
“It is also finding time to enjoy what I’ve been able to do and be aware it’s an amazing achievement and something I’m not going to take for granted and enjoy it while it lasts. Hopefully on to bigger and better things.”
He admitted to struggling to sleep before facing Kyrgios, and even deleted social media off his phone before the match with the Australian, but was able to remain composed as he took on the “rowdy crowd”.
“It was amazing Honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life I think,” he said after the first-round win. I think I kind of knew that I couldn’t really show any emotion because I felt that the crowd was just going to eat that alive. So I was kind of fighting to just stay composed and stay calm and not give them anything.
“I’ve never been a racquet thrower. I can get a bit mad, yeah. On these kind of stages, you kind of try and stay as calm as you can. I definitely have it in me, as does everyone, I’m human. I do get a little bit angry sometimes, just a little bit negative self-talk. No, never like throwing my racquet or anything like that or disrespectful. None of that.”
Includes reporting from PA
