Jacob Fearnley into first big tournament quarter final
Edinburgh tennis player Jacob Fearnley reached his first ATP 500 quarter final when he powered away in the deciding set to defeat Corentin Moutet of France 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on a packed Queen's Club Andy Murray Arena.
After a dramatic slump in the middle set which included three double faults in a single game Fearnley began hitting with more power and dictating rallies against an opponent who had defeated world no 4 Taylor Fritz in the previous round after coming through qualifying.
Whatever Fearnley said to himself during a five minute bathroom break certainly worked. The contrast in approach suddenly became striking as Fearnley, watched by mum Samantha and girlfriend, Keegan, came out swinging, hitting lines and attacking the net.
Ex-Colinton junior and Merchiston Castle School tennis alumni Fearnley now plays Czech Jiri Lehecka, world no 30 who, in January this year defeated man of the moment Carlos Alcaraz in Doha.
Lehecka can only be a more straight forward opponent than Moutet who proved volatile in the extreme, picking up two time violations and arguing repeatedly with the umpire. On having his serve broken at the start of the third set the Frenchman reacted by firing a ball hire into the grandstands.
To a less focused player than Fearnley it could have been a major distraction especially occurring right at the end of the third set. But the Scot held his concentration and won huge acclaim for not only his rampant forehand but a series of backhand winners as Moutet even resorted to an underhand serve to break up the rhythm of the contest.
Interviewed on court afterwards, Jacob said: 'I tried to stick to my game plan and be aggressive. I did that better in the third set and the result speaks for itself.
'It's really special to have everyone here and watch me play on this stage.'
By reaching the quarter finals Jacob is guaranteed 69,500 euros and 100 ranking points which should push him back into the world's top 50.
Jacob Fearnley is into his first ATP 500 quarter final at Queen's Club.
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