Fearnley hoping for good British fortunes at Wimbledon
By Mohamed Hamza
Jacob Fearnley hopes he can continue to contribute to good British fortunes ahead of Wimbledon this summer.
The 23-year-old began his grass court season with a run to a first ATP Tour singles quarter-final at the LTA's HSBC Championships at Queen's, as well as reaching the doubles semi-finals alongside Cameron Norrie.
Advertisement
The pair were eventually beaten by doubles specialists Michael Venus and Nikola Mektić 6-3 7-5 but Fearnley took plenty of positives from his week in the capital amidst strong mood music amongst the British hopefuls in the men's draw.
Fearnley was one of several home talents to wow the crowd in W14, with compatriot and British No.1 Jack Draper reaching the singles semi-final and he believes their exploits have set the stage for what will be a memorable summer on the lawns of SW19.
'It's always good to have British guys doing well before Wimbledon,' said Fearnley. 'It increases the hype and gives the fans something to watch and look forward to.
'What Jack's doing, being No.4 in the world is exciting and obviously there's myself, Cam and a lot of great wild cards that have been named.
Advertisement
'British tennis is in a good position, and it's great that it's peaking right before Wimbledon.'
Fearnley and Norrie's unsuccessful bid for the final preceded Draper's own defeat to Jiri Lehecka in the final four.
The home favourite lost out to the Czech star 6-4 4-6 7-5 in two hours and nine minutes, ensuring that the nation's wait for a first British singles champion at Queen's since Andy Murray in 2016 will extend to a decade.
Draper went down a break in the opening set and Lehecka quickly capitalized to ease into the lead.
Draper fought back to take the second and set up a grandstand finish in the decider but was unable to repel Lehecka's renewed assault.
Advertisement
'It's my best result here,' said Draper. "I lost to a better player today on the day, missed a couple of shots here and there, and at this level you obviously can't do that.
'I felt like it was a solid week. I didn't play my best tennis, but at the same time seeing the improvements since last year and I gave myself a chance of being in the final tomorrow.
'I didn't quite get over the line but that's tennis really and I'm looking to keep improving from here to hopefully do better at Wimbledon.'
Draper cut a frustrated figure following his defeat to Lehecka and his anguish was plain to see after the Czech star denied the main man of British tennis a dream final berth.
Advertisement
But Draper insists his frustrations were directed at himself more than anything, apologizing for his loss of composure.
He added: 'The way I sort of playing at times. I have worked so hard to get myself in that position and I really tried to get myself up and get the energy going.
'I was trying to use everything I could. I tried to compete for every ball but in the end, anger just spilled over a little bit too much.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Barbora Krejcikova saves 2 match points in first-round win at Eastbourne
EASTBOURNE, England — Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved two match points on British opponent Harriet Dart's serve before rallying to win her opening match at the grass-court Eastbourne Open. Dart was 40-15 up on serve leading 5-4 in the decisive third set of a rain-affected round-of-32 match that second-seeded Krejcikova went on win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5. It was just the second victory this year for the 17th-ranked Krejcikova, whose season didn't start until May because of a back injury. The 29-year-old Czech player came to Eastbourne for her final warmup before beginning the defense of her Wimbledon title. She lost in the first round at her previous grass-court event at Queen's Club in London. Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, dropped the first set on her way to a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 win over Ann Li of the United States. The seventh-seeded British player next faces Australian teenager Maya Joint, who eliminated Ons Jabeur, the two-time Wimbledon beaten finalist from Tunisia. Sofia Kenin, the fourth-seeded American, lost her opening match 6-4, 6-4 against Kimberly Birrell, the 77th-ranked Australian.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Wimbledon champion Krejcikova saves 2 match points in first-round win at Eastbourne
EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved two match points on British opponent Harriet Dart's serve before rallying to win her opening match Tuesday at the grass-court Eastbourne Open. Dart was 40-15 up on serve leading 5-4 in the decisive third set of a rain-affected round-of-32 match that second-seeded Krejcikova went on win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5. It was just the second victory this year for the 17th-ranked Krejcikova, whose season didn't start until May because of a back injury. The 29-year-old Czech player came to Eastbourne for her final warmup before beginning the defense of her Wimbledon title next week. She lost in the first round at her previous grass-court event at Queen's Club in London. Emma Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, dropped the first set on her way to a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 win over Ann Li of the United States. The seventh-seeded British player next faces Australian teenager Maya Joint, who on Monday eliminated Ons Jabeur, the two-time Wimbledon beaten finalist from Tunisia. Sofia Kenin, the fourth-seeded American, lost her opening match 6-4, 6-4 against Kimberly Birrell, the 77th-ranked Australian. ___ AP tennis:
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Andy Murray to help design statue of himself for Wimbledon's 150th birthday in 2027
LONDON — Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is to help design a statue of himself to mark the grass-court tournament's 150th anniversary in 2027. Wimbledon organizers aim to unveil the statue of the British tennis great during the 2027 edition. 'He's got to rightly be very involved in that and him and his team will be,' the All England Club chairwoman Debbie Jevans said. Murray ended Britain's 77-year wait for a home champion in men's singles in 2013 when he beat Novak Djokovic in the final. The Scotsman won a second title — and his third Grand Slam singles title overall — in the 2016 final against Milos Raonic. An inspiration for the statue project is the way Rafael Nadal was honored, with Murray in attendance, at Roland Garros where he won 14 French Open titles. 'We looked at Rafa Nadal having that sort of plaque unveiled to him at Roland-Garros which was all very special,' Jevans said. 'But we thought, what do we want for Andy?' A bronze statue of Fred Perry, the previous British men's champion before Murray in 1936, was put up at Wimbledon in 1984 marking 50 years after his first singles title at the tournament.
