Jacob Fearnley exits Australian Open after being given lesson by Alexander Zverev
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It took just 20 minutes into one of the most significant occasions of Jacob Fearnley’s uncommonly short professional tennis career for the 23-year-old to receive evidence of the soaring level required to consistently trouble the very best tennis players in the world.
![[Alexander Zverev plays a shot at the net]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ce5013bb653af87831858a754aead40c1ab8cf6e/0_0_4317_2878/master/4317.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
With the score at 2-3, 0-15 early in his first grand slam third round match, Fearnley had swept to the net behind an excellent combination of vicious forehands, a strong move that would have comfortably earned him the point against his earlier opponents. Instead, he watched on helplessly as Alexander Zverev effortlessly tracked down his approach shot and pounded a backhand passing shot straight down the line for a clean winner.
After two intense hours on Margaret Court Arena, Fearnley departed his first overseas grand slam tournament having earned a valuable lesson rather than a transcendent triumph as he was outplayed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 by the second seed on Friday afternoon. Across three competitive sets, Zverev demonstrated his far greater consistency, focus and experience as he returned to the fourth round of the Australian Open.
“I think he’s an incredible player,” said Zverev. “He went through all the stages, he went to college, went through futures and challengers. Now he’s on the big stage, playing in the third round of a grand slam. I have massive respect for him and he has a [great] future.”.
In the seven months since Fearnley began to focus on building a professional tennis career after college, he has already experienced milestones that some spend an entire career working towards. Fearnley has won numerous ATP Challenger titles, broken into the top 100 and faced Novak Djokovic on Centre Court at Wimbledon in his first grand slam appearance, winning a set in the process.
