ATP roundup: Brit Jacob Fearnley pulls off early upset in Eastbourne
June 24 - Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain needed just 65 minutes to take down Italian fifth seed Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the Lexus Eastbourne Open on Tuesday in England.
Fearnley, ranked No. 51 in the world, won four ATP Challenger Tour titles last year, but he remains in search of his first ATP Tour win. He reached the quarterfinals last week at Queen's Club in London and seeks more this week in his home country. On Tuesday, he won 25 of 35 first-service points (71.4 percent) and converted 5 of 9 break-point opportunities.
No. 8 seed Nuno Borges of Portugal was on the same path as Cobolli before pulling out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over British wild card Jack Pinnington Jones.
Lucky losers Billy Harris of Great Britain and Jenson Brooksby advanced in straight sets. Marcos Giron, Reilly Opelka and Australian James Duckworth also moved on to Round 2.
Mallorca Championships
No. 6 seed Gabriel Diallo of Canada fired 10 aces and outlasted a challenge from Serbian Laslo Djere 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in second-round action in Mallorca, Spain.
Diallo advanced to face Dutch fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor, a 7-5, 6-4 winner over qualifier Ethan Quinn. Diallo's countryman, No. 2 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, had an easier time in beating France's Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, he'll face Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic, who saved 6 of 7 break points in his 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) win over Russia's Roman Safiullin.
In the final matches of the first round, Spanish seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut rallied past Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, while qualifiers Brandon Holt and Australian Bernard Tomic also moved on in three sets.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wimbledon 2025: No line judges this year, but will they be missed?
Thomas Sweeney's first incentive to become a line judge was the offer of a free Pauline Eyre, who called the lines at Wimbledon for 16 years, some natty blazers and the chance to buy tickets for the tournament were the main recompense for work she had to take annual leave to the best officials might earn up to £200 a day plus line judging has never been about the money for those who spend hours leaning forward, hands resting on knees, staring intently at a line of chalk to determine in a split second on which side of it the yellow ball has so close to Jana Novotna on Centre Court that she could see her foot shaking on the first point of a Wimbledon final or being "psyched out" by John McEnroe were priceless experiences for then there were the outfits."There's nothing quite like walking out on to the iconic grass courts at SW19, wearing the uniform of what many consider the best-dressed officials in all of sport," Malgorzata Grzyb, chair of the Association of British Tennis Officials (ABTO), told BBC times have changed. Next week at Wimbledon there will be no line judges for the first time in its 148-year history, with electronic line calling being and umpires have already got used to the new set-up as it has been at other tournaments for a while, but on the green grass at Wimbledon, where advertising logos are muted and the players are dressed in white, the emptier courts may feel that bit more noticeable."It's all the tradition of Wimbledon – the people and the funny uniforms – and that's a bit of personality that's gone," said Eyre. "I think it's all of those little things that made Wimbledon Wimbledon."Traditionalists will miss them, but technology fans will point to Sport has been finding out what umpires, players and line judges make of the move. Challenges are 'out' "Mr Djokovic is challenging the call on the right baseline; the ball was called out."There was often a buzz of excitement when the umpire signalled there would be a video replay of a line judge's rhythmic clap-clap-clapping built up to the moment being shown on the big screen, and the obligatory "ooooooooh" followed when the split-second judgement of the human eye was laid bare to a packed arena and millions watching on than 14,000 pairs of eyes on Centre Court could bore into the line judge who had been wrong by less than the width of a blade of grass. But when the official was shown to be correct, their poker faces had to fight the urge to look even mildly year players can still ask for a replay on the screen, although fans' gasps will be over the depiction of a 'close call' rather than a verdict on human instinct versus technology. And, if recent tournaments are anything to go by, their laughs may be at the delayed reaction for some of the "out" Hawkins, inventor of the Hawk-Eye technology that was first introduced at Wimbledon in 2007, said the challenge system had probably "had its day" with fans."When it was new, there was certainly more excitement – people kind of got into it," he said."It got to the point where there was a little bit of a case of 'we've been there, we've had that joke, let's just get on with the tennis' and obviously doing away with the challenge system does mean you can get on with the game a bit quicker." Some line judges are still 'in' The absence of line judges now gives players fewer people to take out their frustrations on, with Eyre remembering being "yelled at" by players and being hit by many was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for accidentally hitting a ball at a line judge, while last year Andrey Rublev was defaulted in Dubai for screaming in the face of all of the 300 line judges who have been cut will be out of work at Wimbledon, with about 80 being used as 'match assistants' who are on hand in case the technology fails and will also undertake duties such as escorting players who need to leave the their opportunities to work at big tournaments are dwindling, with the French Open now the only one of the four Grand Slams not using electronic line men's ATP Tour and the combined ATP/WTA tournaments introduced the technology this year and WTA-only events are moving in that fears this could have an impact on the quality of umpiring in years to come since line judging is a pathway to becoming a chair umpire."Why would you go to call the lines at Finchley Tennis Club under-12s if you haven't got that carrot of 'maybe one day I can get to call lines at Wimbledon'?" said Eyre, who called the lines in 12 Wimbledon finals in the 1990s and 2000s and is now a comedian touring a show about her line judge Grzyb says the development pathway for officials has evolved and stressed that line judges are still used at many events below the top tier of tennis."Instead of starting solely as line umpires, new officials now receive training in both line and chair umpiring from the outset, enabling them to progress more rapidly to chair umpire roles," the ABTO chair said."[This] is not dissimilar to the systems in place in many countries without a home Grand Slam, and who have been able to produce world-class chair umpires." 'Out... I think' - You cannot be serious! Being a line judge usually means being able to stand for a long period of time and, crucially, bellow out the call in a way that makes it obvious what is British number one Jack Draper found out at Queen's, the automated calls cannot always be heard over a raucous point to take his semi-final to a decider was met with confusion as neither Draper nor the crowd were sure whether there had been an "out" players also no longer able to rely on the line judges' arm gestures to indicate if the ball is out, Eyre says the voices used at the grass-court tournament were not loud enough."They have used very calm voices - it sort of sounds like the voice isn't sure," she said."Sort of like it's saying 'out… I think'. It feels a bit awkward. That's very different psychologically, not hearing something sharp."And while some prefer the technology - Briton Heather Watson recently said a bad experience with line judges' calls at Birmingham "ruined the match" - others are Sonay Kartal said she struggled at the Australian Open as she could hear automated calls from the other courts, leading to confusion and even players stopping the point because they thought the call was on their is not yet known what the voices of the Wimbledon calls will sound like, with the tournament using the voices of some of its behind-the-scenes staff and tour guides. The All England Club will be using different voices on different courts to avoid confusion between neighbouring would have been great if the booming voice of McEnroe himself had been one of the voices, Eyre suggests."It would be fun to have McEnroe calling them, wouldn't it? We're all yelling at the telly going 'you cannot be serious!' - I'd like that, we could yell at him and that would be good karma!" Could umpires be next to go? First it was a pencil, paper and a stopwatch. Then came an electronic scoring system and next technology continues to develop, the need for human intervention what will go next? Chair umpires?Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion McEnroe, known for his on-court outbursts, has previously suggested getting rid of umpires and relying on the - he of the free sandwich - is now a chair umpire who oversaw the 2023 women's French Open has overseen numerous matches on Wimbledon's Centre Court and cannot imagine time being called on umpires in top-level tennis any time soon."There will always be that need to have a human to facilitate at the end of where technology has its limitations," Sweeney said."There are aspects to life that can't be prepared for, and you need that human to be able to absorb pressure, provide the opportunity for understanding and empathy for a player, and to be able to help, guide and govern how the court itself operates."But with nine fewer people on court during matches, Sweeney said it "can feel a bit lonely out there" after the "tradition of living the match together and encouraging each other to stay focused".Ball kids and match officials are still on hand to assist with tasks like fetching towels for players or facilitating bathroom breaks, while one review official monitors the line technology."We still have that team," said Sweeney. "Even with smaller numbers, we're still a very strong and supporting team of each other. It just looks a bit different."
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Jack Draper, Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu among 10 to watch at Wimbledon
Wimbledon begins on Monday with Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova bidding to defend the titles they won last year. Here, the PA news agency picks out 10 players to watch over the next fortnight. Coco Gauff The charismatic American heads to Wimbledon as the new French Open champion, but her grass ceiling remains the fourth round. Yet if her forehand and serve hold up, Gauff has all the weapons and athleticism to master her least favourite surface. The 21-year-old will be seeded second so there should be little danger until the latter stages of the tournament. Aryna Sabalenka The runaway world number one has yet to make a major impact at Wimbledon and had to withdraw from last year's tournament through injury. Sabalenka's ragged display in the Roland Garros final was hard to take, so the powerful Belarusian will be determined to reassert her authority at the top of the women's game by adding the SW19 title to her US and Australian Open crowns. Now back at the top of the British rankings, Raducanu is playing probably some of her best tennis since her remarkable US Open triumph in 2021 – although that bar is quite low after a turbulent few years. The 22-year-old is having to manage a back problem, but her informal coaching arrangement with Mark Petchey appears to be working. Tatjana Maria The German mother of two came from out of nowhere to be crowned the Queen of Queen's Club earlier this month. Maria went on an incredible run through qualifying before slicing four top-20 players into submission to become the oldest WTA 500 champion at the age of 37. Could bringing 1980s-style tennis back to Wimbledon land the ultimate prize? Qinwen Zheng With a huge Chinese fanbase, Olympic champion Zheng probably has a claim to be the most recognisable female player worldwide. She has also built a reputation for some frowned-upon antics, from flouting warm-up convention by hitting winners to changing her rackets and shoes during an opponent's service game, most recently against Raducanu at Queen's. Carlos Alcaraz Now on a career-best 18-match winning streak taking in Rome, the French Open and a second Queen's title on Sunday, the defending champion remains the man to beat at SW19. A five-time grand slam winner at the age of just 22, Alcaraz has reached five consecutive finals and lost just one match since April. It is hard to see anyone stopping the Spaniard over the next fortnight. Jannik Sinner The world number one from Italy has reached two finals since returning from a three-month doping ban but is probably still having nightmares about the three championship points he held against Alcaraz at Roland Garros. An aggressive baseliner with excellent movement, Sinner will certainly be a threat but question marks remain over his stamina in five-set matches. Novak Djokovic In reaching the French Open semi-finals, Djokovic proved he can still beat 98 per cent of the field in men's tennis. It is just the other two who are preventing him from landing that record 25th grand slam title. Sinner got the better of him at Roland Garros, while Alcaraz has beaten him in the last two Wimbledon finals. Aged 38, can the last of the 'big three' still standing find a way past them and land an eighth SW19 title? Jack Draper Britain's great hope will go into his home slam seeded fourth after a stellar start to the season, winning a maiden Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, reaching another final in Madrid and the semi-finals at Queen's. Now free of the fitness issues which dogged his formative years, Draper is one of the most feared players on the ATP Tour and is desperate to emulate Andy Murray and claim the Wimbledon crown. Alexander Bublik The maverick from Kazakhstan – who prefers a getaway to Las Vegas to a training block – knocked Draper out of the French Open and accounted for Sinner on his way to the Halle title last week in a blur of pinpoint serving, thunderous winners and a drop shot which lands like a butterfly with sore feet. Temperamental, gloriously unpredictable and brilliant fun to watch.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
6 memorable times line judges and line calling took centre stage at Wimbledon
Visitors to this year's Wimbledon will notice a major change on court. For the first time, there will be no Ralph Lauren-clad line judges calling shots in or out, with video technology instead now taking full control. The decision has been met by a mixed reception, with some people believing it represents progress and brings Wimbledon into line with most other tournaments, while others have bemoaned a loss of tradition and the removal of roles within the sport. It should also mean no more rows between players and officials over line calls, which have provided some of the most famous moments in Wimbledon history. Here, the PA news agency looks back at the times when line judges and line calling took centre stage. John McEnroe – 1981 The most famous controversy of all spawned the quote that continues to follow McEnroe around more than 40 years later. In a first-round match against Tom Gullikson, a McEnroe serve on the centre line was met by an outstretched arm from the line judge. Umpire Edward James affirmed it was out, leading McEnroe to exclaim: 'You cannot be serious. That ball was on the line. Chalk flew up.' A six-minute hiatus followed where the American was given a point penalty for calling the official the 'pits of the world'. He went on to win the match and the tournament but his relationship with officialdom remained tempestuous. Jeff Tarango – 1995 Another combustible American went one step further than McEnroe, defaulting himself by walking off court midway through a third-round match against Alexander Mronz. Tarango's ire was first sparked by a serve he thought was an ace being called out early in the second set. He went on to call umpire Bruno Rebeuh corrupt and, after being given a point penalty, stormed off trailing 7-6 3-1. Tarango's wife Benedicte also slapped Rebeuh across the face behind the scenes. Tarango was fined and suspended for his actions. Fabio Fognini – 2013 Dubbed the 'opera rant', Italian Fognini's reaction to a disputed line call in a first-round match against Jurgen Melzer in 2013 was a full-blown melodrama. When a shot to the baseline was called out, Fognini dropped his racket and collapsed prostrate to the grass before appealing to umpire Pascal Maria, who could barely contain his mirth, in the most dramatic of fashions. Nick Kyrgios – 2022 Another serial offender when it comes to clashes with officials, Kyrgios complained about one line judge being a 'snitch' during a first-round match against Britain's Paul Jubb three years ago. As well as calling lines, the officials also kept an ear out for bad language from players, reporting what they heard to the umpire. That did not meet with approval from Kyrgios, who ranted to the umpire: 'Has one person today come to see her speak? You got fans, but she has got none. She just selfishly walks to you in the middle of a game because she's a snitch.' Greg Rusedski – 2003 A man in the crowd was the subject of British star Greg Rusedski's anger during a second-round match against Andy Roddick in 2003. The fan erroneously called a Roddick serve out and Rusedski, thinking the call had come from the line judge, left it. He lost his temper when the umpire refused to order the point to be replayed and was fined for his outburst. Dorothy Cavis-Brown – 1964 At match point in his first-round contest, Abe Segal moved to the net to shake hands after Clark Graebner hit a shot well wide. But no call came. All eyes turned to line judge Cavis-Brown, who was slumped fast asleep in her chair. Laughter rippled through the crowd as a ball boy tried and failed to rouse her. The match followed the officials' cocktail party, which swiftly became a thing of the past.
