Jacob Fearnley breaks new ground by beating Arthur Cazaux at Australian Open
The Scot came from a set down to reach the last 32 at a grand slam for the first time.
Jacob Fearnley broke more new ground at the Australian Open to set up a third-round clash with second seed Alexander Zverev.
The 23-year-old’s professional tennis education has been going at warp speed and he followed up his upset of Nick Kyrgios in round one by defeating France’s Arthur Cazaux 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3.
It is the first time the Scot, who only left college in the United States last spring, has made the last 32 at a grand slam.
Fearnley would have been expecting a more low-key atmosphere than the cauldron he faced on John Cain Arena on Monday but Melbourne Park’s Court 6 has a bar for spectators on one side and the fans settled in for the evening were eager to have a good time.
At least the Scot had a good proportion of the support this time, while there was also a lively section cheering on Cazaux, who knocked out 28th seed Sebastian Baez in round one.
The contest got off to a false start as rain swirled around Melbourne Park, Cazaux winning two games amid several delays before the players were forced off.
When they returned, Fearnley quickly found himself 5-1 down but he retrieved one of the breaks to get himself into the match and from there the momentum swung.
He began to overpower the slight Cazaux, using his forehand to great effect, and, once he had broken serve to take the second set, Fearnley kept control of the contest to become the first British player through to round three.
