Back in the days when Jacob Fearnley and Jack Draper were friends and competitors on the junior tennis circuit, in young Jack's most rebellious moments, his parents would complain, “Why can't you act more like Jacob?”
Draper told the story after Fearnley took Nick Kyrgios' prized scalp, the highlight of four British wins from four on the second day of the Australian Open.
“We were under 12 and 14 and he was always very level-headed, very calm and most of the time he beat me when we played,” Draper said after his own victory, a five-set bout. against the Argentine Mariano Navone.
Never has Fearnley's placid demeanor been more valuable than in this match. The crowd from the late night session at John Cain Stadium was here to see Kyrgios and they were here to party. They were about to explode but Fearnley cut the red wire and then the green wire and deactivated the bomb.
You don't survive the Wild West of US college tennis without a little heart, and Fearnley, a graduate of Texas Christian University, played with a deadpan, relentless aggression.
It took all the emotion out of the stadium, at least until Kyrgios rallied in the third set. The crowd woke up belatedly and began applauding every mistake by Fearnley, but the Scot's courage never wavered and he closed it out 7-6, 6-3, 7-6.
British star Jacob Fearnley (left) caused Nick Kygrios (right) to crash at the Australian Open.
Jack Draper then took the time to praise the 23-year-old's success in Melbourne.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” the 23-year-old said. 'I was extremely nervous. Actually, it wasn't until I got out that I was a little calm.
'He knew he couldn't show any emotion because the crowd was just going to eat him alive. So I was struggling to stay composed and calm and not give them anything.
Kyrgios was seriously hampered by an abdominal injury he suffered last week, but if he had been allowed to gain momentum and draw the crowd, he would have had to slow down a bit. Fearnley denied him any impulse.
The serve was the area most compromised by the abdominal problem and Fearnley's average first serve speed was almost seven kilometers per hour faster than the normally fast Kyrgios.
“I had it before I got here,” Kyrgios told the physiotherapist while receiving treatment for the injury. 'I don't know why I played. “It was so stupid.”
But this was a worthy outing for Kyrgios and he gave his opponent generous credit. He also suggested that 2025 would be the last year of his career, saying: “Realistically, I don't see myself playing a singles match here again.”
Draper and Fearnley's stories are a good case study of the fact that there is more than one way to skin this sport. When Draper was winning the first set against Novak Djokovic on Center Court in 2021, Fearnley was in his second year in Texas and the professional tour was a distant dream, and yet here they are, in the round of 16 of the Australian Open.
Both also have very winnable matches on Wednesday: Fearnley plays French world number 78 Arthur Cazaux and it's Draper's turn to face a local favourite, Kyrgios' friend and doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Fearnley admitted the victory was “one of the best experiences of my life”
Kyrgious admitted it could be the last time he would play singles at the Australian Open
We spoke to Draper during the final blows of Fearnley's victory. He was delighted for his friend, but not remotely surprised.
“We took a slightly different path, he went to university and I played professionally, but it's amazing to see his progress over the last year,” said the British number one.
“He's not someone who's going to break the top 100 and get some good wins; he's definitely going to be at the top of the game.” I think we're going to have a really healthy and competitive rivalry. “He's a friend and I want him to succeed and do amazing things and I'm sure he will.”
Draper had to work very hard to win his first match against Navone. He was really pretty bad for most of the match, but the best players know how to get ugly wins and he did, winning 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Four British wins today were a pleasant surprise, especially as at the start of the day we only had three names on the calendar. But when Marketa Vondrousova withdrew with a hip injury, Harriet Dart was called up as a “lucky loser” of the qualifiers to take her place against Jana Fett.
Meanwhile, Draper had to work very hard to win his first match against Mariano Navone.
That match turned out to be a heartbreaking epic, with Dart leading 10-7 in the deciding tiebreaker.
The first British winner of the day was Jodie Burrage, who put months of injury torment behind her to comfortably beat Leolia Jeanjean for her first win here in Melbourne.
Burrage cried with joy after the game and said: “All those emotions from the last nine months were bottled up there. It was always going to come out at some point.”
The 25-year-old will have a chance against Coco Gauff on Wednesday, while Dart will face Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic.