Jacob Fearnley Downs Nick Kyrgios at Aussie Open
Australian Open
January 13, 2025
Jacob Fearnley silenced the Melbourne crowd with a stunning display against local hero Nick Kyrgios.
His 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) victory seemed to leave the Australians in a state of quiet dismay.
Fearnley said: ‘Sorry for Nick. I know he was dealing with some stuff but I really enjoyed playing in front of you guys. I knew I couldn’t get you guys on my side, though.
‘All things considered it was probably the best match I’ve played.’
And that continued a remarkable day for the Brits after victories for Jack Draper and Jodie Burrage.
This was billed as Comeback Day for bad-boy Nick at his home Grand Slam.
Instead it became an extraordinary occasion for the 23-year-old Scot, whose “home” UK major comes this summer.
‘This will help me going forward,’ Fearnley confirmed.
Jacob Fearnley should become box office at Wimbledon 2025 after this breakthrough win.
He took a set off Novak Djokovic last time he was given the stage on the iconic Wimbledon Centre Court.
And now he has shown he has the perfect temperament for the big occasion yet again.
True, Kyrgios came into the match with an abdominal strain. But he was still able to go toe-to-toe with Fearnley until the thrilling tie-breaks ended his hopes.
Controversial Nick was swearing repeatedly during the first set – and his bad language was picked up by the courtside microphones.
Fearnley refused to be distracted – and simply put his big-time rival to the sword when it mattered.
As Kyrgios saw the writing on the wall, his abdominal problem inevitably troubled him even more.
And we began to think it was only a matter of time before the favourite retired to fight another day. Then his late efforts temporarily brought the crowd to life.
Jacob Fearnley was not going to release his stranglehold with victory in sight, though. Now he can approach the rest of 2025 with increasing confidence.
The small pockets of Brits were delighted Down Under. But the Australians seemed shocked by their man’s inability to gain a foothold. Some even booed Fearnley’s good fortune just before the underdog clinched the second set.
They cheered Jacob’s double faults in the third set too. When Kyrgios began to compete, they even cheered the Englishman’s single faults.
But it was all to no avail. Fearnley kept his mind on the job. ‘I focused on me and my team. It was difficult to keep my composure for sure. But I did it,’ he concluded in a Scottish-American accent
And that composure made for a simply amazing outcome.