- Jacob Fearnley faced second seed Alexander Zverev in Melbourne
- The 23-year-old Briton lost in straight sets, but put in a brave performance.
- Fearnley took home a check for £150,000 and a new ranking of 77, the highest of his career.
Jacob Fearnley's Australian Open adventure is over as he was overtaken by No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev.
After two raucous and resounding victories this week, the 23-year-old Scot found himself in the more clinical environment of the Margaret Court Arena and was surgically disarmed by Zverev.
But this 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 loss was far from an embarrassment. The Scot was the first man in this Australian Open to break Zverev's serve and he did it twice. It wasn't as impressive as taking Novak Djokovic to four tight sets on Center Court last year, but Fearnley has performed well in his first two brushes with greatness.
“He's an incredible player,” Zverev, 27, said after the match. 'He went through all the stages: he went to university, Futures, Challengers and now he is in the third round of a Grand Slam. “I have enormous respect for him and the effort he has put into the sport.”
Fearnley will leave Australia with a check for £150,000, a new career-high ranking of 77 and, most importantly, bags of confidence and experience as he begins his first full season on tour.
He will also leave having made a name for himself here in Melbourne.
Jacob Fearnley's Australian Open career came to an end when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev
Zverev, world number 2, beat the British 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets, but Fearnley was brave
Zverev praised Fearnley after the match, calling him an “incredible player.”
When I told my taxi driver on Friday morning where I was from, I didn't want to talk about Jack Draper or Emma Raducanu, but Fearnley.
Just under a million Australians watched Fearnley's victory against Nick Kyrgios on Monday and he left an impression with his inquisitive attacking style and cool-headedness amid the chaos.
After Kyrgios' carnival at John Cain and a wild race against Arthur Cazaux on Court 6, which had a bar on one side and a group of French fans on the other, this was a very different atmosphere.
The first few games were played out in near silence before the sleepy afternoon crowd. They wanted to get behind Fearnley, but he came out nervous and in the first rallies hit three shots that were probably among the worst of his brief career: a backhand that missed by miles, a second serve that barely made it onto the singles court, and then a forehand shot straight into the back of the net.
He still managed to keep the score at 1-1 and that got him going. But at 2-3 he committed a double fault on the way to serve.
Fearnley took a bathroom break after the first set, presumably both to clear his head and his bladder.
He improved a lot at the beginning of the second set. His opponent broke first, but Fearnley counterattacked immediately, playing his best game of the match to break the Teutonic stronghold of Zverev's serve for the first time this fortnight.
His tactics were spot on: play mainly with Zverev's forehand and if you go with his backhand, do it hard; Move forward whenever possible and mix in drop shots to punish the German's propensity to hang back.
Fearnley leaves Australia with a £150,000 paycheck and a new career-high ranking of 77
Unfortunately, Fearnley followed up his best play of the match with his worst, a double fault and a backhand volley into the net. Zverev served in the second set and was practically at home.
There are a lot of things to like about Fearnley's game. His technique is economical, especially his two-handed backhand jab. He is an edge player and is more comfortable than most moving to the net.
The next stage of his development will be to improve his defensive game and continue to perfect his serve, a shot he is working hard on.
The tennis world, and especially our little corner of Britain, will follow his progress this season with interest and anticipation.