By Tony Fairbairn
- Jacob Fearnley def Arthur Cazaux 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3
- Fearnley v Alexander Zverev [2] | H2H: First Meeting
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Jacob Fearnley overcame rain delays and Arthur Cazaux in order to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career and next up is second seed Alexander Zverev.
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Jacob Fearnley def Arthur Cazaux 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3
Jacob Fearnley is into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career after a four set win over Arthur Cazaux on a fairly miserable Melbourne evening. The match was delayed for several hours due to the rain and when the match did happen, Cazaux got off to a quick start to break for a 2-0 lead.
After that the rain came again with the match being postponed for a further few hours before play resumed in the evening. A passionate crowd came to support the match as Fearnley slowly worked his way back into the opening set but Cazaux’s dominance continued with more aggressive play on return. The Frenchman was in fine form and his potential was clear to see as he secured the double break lead at 5-1.
The Brit came back into the match on return as he started to read Cazaux’s serves a lot better at the end of the set. Fearnley’s consistent returning was rewarded with a break of serve as he forced the Frenchman to serve out the set for a second time. However, Fearnley left himself with too much to do as Cazaux took the opening set in 42 minutes.
In the second set Cazaux once again played with attacking intent as he took advantage of some poor play from Fearnley to break for a 2-1 lead. The Brit knew he had to up his game in difficult conditions and that is what Fearnley did as he played smart tennis to force errors from Cazaux, breaking for 2-2.
That was the key turning point for Fearnley as his confidence increased on return and he started to predict where the Frenchman was going to hit the ball next. Some incredible tennis especially at the net gave Fearnley the belief he needed and in the eighth game, Fearnley broke for a 5-3 lead.
In these moments it’s easy to get carried away and that’s what Fearnley did as he still needed to concentrate on the threat being posed by Cazaux. The Frenchman took advantage of some errors from the Brit as Cazaux broke back straight away in the next game.
This was a crucial set and one Fearnley had to win in order to have a chance of winning the match and the Brit played his best tennis of the contest on return in the latter stages of the second set. Fearnley played some outstanding tennis as he won the last two games to take the second set and level the match at one set all.
That was the momentum swing that Fearnley needed as from then on, he dominated the match and dictated the rallies from the baseline. In the third set, Fearnley didn’t face a single break point as he broke on two occasions to take a two set to one lead and close in on a landmark occasion.
The fourth set was more nervy on serve from Fearnley with there being a lot on the line for the Brit. However, after saving two break points Fearnley broke in the fourth game with some clinical shot-making to close in on victory. Despite a late surge from Cazaux, the Brit remained composed and served out the match to seal a place in the third round of the Australian Open.
Jacob Fearnley v Alexander Zverev [2] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jacob Fearnley v Alexander Zverev [2] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Australian Open 2025 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: A$290,000 |
| Second on Margaret Court Arena (Not before 02:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Fearnley faces a big test in the form of two-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev as he looks to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Jacob Fearnley (WR 92) | Alexander Zverev (WR 2) |
| Tournament Previous Best | N/A | Semi-Finalist (2020, 2024) |
| 1st Serve % | 61 | 71.1 |
| Service Games Won % | 82.7 | 90 |
| Break Points Saved % | 61.6 | 70.3 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 53.2 | 51.9 |
| Break Points Converted % | 37.9 | 37.3 |
Fearnley will need to improve his returning game as he is taking on one of the best servers on the tour.
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Playing styles and prediction
Zverev ended 2024 as world number two having achieved some incredible results although there will be a lingering feeling of regret that he didn’t capitalize on his two set lead in the Roland Garros final. Now the German will hope that he can break his Grand Slam duck in 2025 as expectations keep growing and time keeps running out.
Fearnley will look to dictate play on the forehand side as he will use the serve to force Zverev into playing shorter balls. Meanwhile the German will use the backhand to put Fearnley on the back foot as he will look to use the serve in order to be aggressive. This will be a great experience for Fearnley but Zverev should be a step too far this time.
Prediction: Zverev in four sets.
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