Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley both secured excellent opening round victories to progress into the second round of the Australian Open, the first of the season’s majors being played out in Melbourne.
All things considered, I think it’s probably the best match I ever played Jacob Fearnley
Of the two Fearnley’s straight sets win over home hope, Wimbledon finalist, Nick Kyrgios, is the more remarkable for there can be little doubt that the Australian, despite a long injury lay-off which prevented him from playing Melbourne since 2022, and his call for the trainer during the second set for an abdominal injury, was the more experienced player but Fearnley, ranked 92, kept his nerve and focus to run out a 7-6(3) 6-3 7-6(2) winner in front of a hostile crowd.
Jacob Fearnley shakes hands with Nick Kyrgios following his win over the Australian
(Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
“I was extremely nervous before the match. I didn’t get too much sleep,” Fearnley admitted during his on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be a rowdy match, and I thought I played good. I’m sorry for Nick. I could tell he was dealing with some stuff, but it was a great match, and I really enjoyed playing in front of [the crowd].”
The two were well matched in the first set but the 23-year-old Brit took charge in the tie break reeling off six consecutive points from 0-1.
He made a breakthrough early in the second set but it wasn’t until the third set, with the help of the crowd, that Kyrgios looked to be mounting a fightback by recovering from 1-3 down but then failed to capitalise on the change of momentum as Fearnley successfully weathered the storm to hold out for another tiebreak in which he again was quick to take control of.
“All things considered, I think it’s probably the best match I ever played,” Fearnley said of the win “I’ve never experienced anything like this, but I definitely had some heckles thrown my way over four-and-a-half seasons at TCU. That definitely helped, but I think that an experience like this will help me going forward for sure.”
The next test for Fearnley in Melbourne will be a second-round meeting with Arthur Cazaux, the Frenchman who had earlier rallied to a 6-3 5-7 3-6 6-0 6-3 win against 28th seed from Argentina, Sebastian Baez.
Jack Draper wipes off the sweat during his four hour battle
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
In contrast Draper’s passage into the second round for a second consecutive year, was a more bruising affair and while he didn’t vomit into a courtside bin like he did then in the gruelling Aussie heat, he had to battle over fours before he advanced past Argentina’s Mariano Navone 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2
The heat was more bearable this time around though his performance was inconsistent However he held his nerve to recover from two-sets to one down and post an excellent result one-minute past the four hour mark.
“I think I showed a lot of heart today,” Draper, who is seeded 15 for the event, said later. “Was nowhere near my best. Sometimes it’s about showing some heart. I’m really, really proud of that today. I think that’s a big win.
“Today it wasn’t pretty at all but I have a feeling that, the more matches I play, the more points I build up, the more I put myself in match situations, my tennis is going to get a lot better.”
Draper’ preparations for the first major of the season were hampered by a hip injury and he was unable to prevent the unforced error mount, especially in the first three sets but he was pleased at how he managed the match.
“Today, even with some bad preparation, after four hours I felt like I could keep on going for longer and longer,” he said.
“I think I’ve come on a long way in the last year. I think more from a mental point of view, as well. I felt really calm. I knew after a couple sets it was going to be a long match, I’d have to contain myself, try and stay calm.”
Jack Draper (R) embraces Mariano Navone (L) following his victory
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Now Draper will face Thanasi Kokkinakis after the Australian fought back from a set down and with the help of painkillers during a medical timeout, beat Russia’s Roman Safiullin 3-6 6-3 6-3 7-6(5) in a first-round match that lasted over four hours.
Still to come from a British viewpoint, is Cameron Norrie who is due to play early on Tuesday when he faces Italy’s hard hitting Matteo Berrettini.
