British No 1 Jack Draper silenced a fervent Melbourne crowd to defy home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis and win a five-set classic to make the third round of the Australian Open.
Kokkinakis served for the match in the fourth set but 15th seed Draper staged a remarkable comeback to win 6-7 (7-3) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the four-and-a-half-hour epic on John Cain Arena.
Draper is set to face another Australian, Aleksandar Vukic, in the third round.
“I don’t know [how I won], it was a really tough match. He is an unbelievable player… every time I play him he brings his best tennis. Especially here in Australia,” said the 23-year-old.
“I am really proud [of the way I came through]. It’s difficult, obviously credit to him I think he was hurting quite a lot. He came out here and gave it his all until the end. It was a great fight.
“I didn’t play for a few weeks in the off-season, I was on the sidelines not really playing. I know that my tennis is improving.
“This is what I’ve played for since I was a young guy.
“Whether you guys are with me or against me it was a tough atmosphere. It was so good to be out here, really happy with the amount of support you get here at these big tournaments.”
Scot Fearnley comes from behind to defeat Cazaux
Jacob Fearnley set up a third-round clash with second seed Alexander Zverev
Jacob Fearnley broke more new ground 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 Briton 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 reach round three.
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