Jack Draper: British No 1 epic Australian Open win to reach third round as Jacob Fearnley also advances | Tennis news
British No.1 Jack Draper silenced a fiery Melbourne crowd to defy home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis to win a five-set classic to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
Kokkinakis served for the match in the fourth set but 15th seed Draper staged a remarkable comeback to win 6-7 (7-3) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 in a four-and-a-half-hour epic at John Cain Arena .
Draper is scheduled to face another Australian, Aleksandar Vukić, in the third round.
“I don’t know [how I won]it was a really tough game. He’s an amazing player… every time I play him, he brings his best tennis. Especially here in Australia,” said the 23-year-old.
“I’m really proud [of the way I came through]. It’s difficult, obviously to his credit, I think he was in a lot of pain. He came out here and gave it his all until the end. It was a great fight.
“I didn’t play for a few weeks in the off-season, I was on the sidelines and I didn’t really play. I know my tennis is improving.
“That’s what I’ve been playing for since I was young.
“Whether you were with me or against me, the atmosphere was tough. It was so good to be here, really happy with the amount of support you get here at these big tournaments.”
Scot Fearnley comes from behind and overpowers Cazaux
Jacob Fearnley he opened a new field and arranged a meeting in the third round with the second seed Alexander Zverev.
The 23-year-old’s professional tennis education went apace as he followed up his first-round defeat of Nick Kyrgios by beating France’s Arthur Cazaux 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3.
This is the first time the Scotsman, who dropped out of college in the United States last spring, has reached the 32 finals at a Grand Slam.
Fearnley expected a more subdued atmosphere than the one he faced at the John Cain Arena on Monday, but Melbourne Park’s Court 6 has a spectator bar on one side and the fans settling in for the evening were keen to have a good time.
At least the Briton had his fair share of support this time, while there was a lively section rooting for Cazaux, who knocked out 28th seed Sebastian Baez in the first round.
The contest got off to a false start as rain fell around Melbourne Park, Cazaux winning two games with several delays before the players were forced to leave.
When they came back, Fearnley quickly found himself 5-1 down but got one of the breaks back to take the match and the momentum took off from there.
He began to overwhelm the light Cazaux, using his forehand to great effect, and after breaking serve to take the second set, Fearnley kept control of the contest and reached the third round.
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