British debutant Fearnley defeats Kyrgios at the Australian Open 

Just two years ago, 23-year-old British tennis player Jacob Fearnley was ranked 1194 in the ATP rankings. Now, he has broken into the top 100. Could he be one of the breakout stars of the tournament? 

Nick Kyrgios, hampered by an abdominal injury, couldn’t deliver his best performance on court. However, Fearnley’s game was remarkably mature, especially given the overwhelming support for his Australian opponent from the crowd. 

Fearnley served confidently, hitting a solid number of aces and maintaining precision on his first serve, which helped him secure the opening set. In the second set, he demonstrated impressive mental resilience, turning around a challenging situation despite the pressure from the audience.

Finally, in the decisive set, the Brit proved stronger in the tiebreak, sealing the match with a score of 7-6(3), 6-3, 7-6(2). 

The young player’s progress over the past two years has been remarkable. At the end of last year, he climbed to 99th in the ATP rankings, with a strong chance to improve further in 2024. He might achieve this during the current Australian Open.

Fearnley’s next opponent in Melbourne will be Arthur Cazaux, the world No. 78. The French player also caused a stir in the first round, defeating 28th seed Sebastian Baez.

Cover photo: youtube.com/@australianopen