Jacob Fearnley's eye-catching run at the Austrlian Open came to an end on Friday following a straight-sets defeat to second seed Alexander Zverev in Melbourne.
Despite his 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 loss, Fearnley held his own against the heavy favourite to hint that his meteoric rise in the sport could well continue.
Fearnley's progress to the third round in Melbourne marks the deepest run the Brit has made at a major event. He rose from No. 646 in the ATP rankings to No. 93 in the space of a year ahead of his debut at the Australian Open where he defeated the returning Nick Kyrgios in his home Grand Slam. Now, less than eight months into his professional career, Fearnley will break into the world's top 80 after the tournament.
He more than held his own against his German opponent in the opening set on Friday, with only a lapse in the sixth game on serve allowing Zverev to take the lead.
Shortly after Zverev went 1-0 up, Fearnley left the court for a medical time-out having appeared to struggle with a lower back issue.
He returned somewhat rejuventated and fought to earn two break points in the second game, but failed to take advantage, allowing Zverev off the hook.
After his momentary scare, Zverev appeared in no mood to allow Fearnley another route back into the contest and his powerful serve proved too much for the Brit to overcome as he took a two-set lead.
Zverev showed his class in the third set to book his spot in the fourth round.
Fearnley's defeat leaves Jack Draper as the only Brit left in the men's singles draw in Melbourne.
Further reading:
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