Jacob Fearnley, Brit star ranked world No646 last year & dubbed next Andy Murray, stuns Nick Kyrgios at Australian Open
BRITISH tennis star Jacob Fearnley stunned Nick Kyrgios with a huge victory in round one of the Australian Open.
Fearnley – dubbed the next Andy Murray – managed a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) win over the 29-year-old Aussie at John Cain Arena.
Despite facing a hostile atmosphere, the Scot cruised through the match in straight sets.
After winning the first two sets, Fearnley experienced a slight dip in performance as his bad-boy opponent attempted to fight back.
But by that point it was too little too late for Kyrgios.
The hometown favourite appeared to struggle with his fitness from the start.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist attempted to nurse an abdominal strain throughout the opening stages and could even be heard saying: “I shouldn’t be out here,” at one point.
Prior to the start of the Grand Slam, Kyrgios pulled out of an exhibition match with Novak Djokovic due to the issue.
The crowd appeared to spur him on towards the end of the contest, giving him a boost.
Fearnley’s lack of Grand Slam experience also appeared to play a part as Kyrgios fought his way back into it.
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The Aussie had the chance to win the third set when up five games to four, but the 23-year-old Scot was able to level things up twice before taking it to a tiebreak.
From then on it was relatively straightforward for Fearnley, who eased through the tiebreak to win the final set 7-6 (7-1).
After the match, he said: “Obviously I was extremely nervous before the match, I didn’t get too much sleep.
“I knew it was going to be a rowdy match, but I thought I played good.
“Sorry for Nick, I could tell he was dealing with some stuff but I thought it was a great match and I really enjoyed playing in front of you guys.”
He continued: “I tried to just focus on myself as best as I could. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to get you guys (the crowd) on my side so I just had to focus on myself and try and play my game.”
Asked if it was the best match he had ever played, the Brit responded: “It’s definitely up there. I think all things considered it’s probably the best match yet.”
Fearnley only turned professional last season and was, at one point, ranked No646 in the world.
However, he broke into the top 100 at the end of the year to qualify for the Australian Open.
The Brit will face Arthur Cazaux in the second round on Wednesday.