Britain’s Jacob Fearnley saw his encouraging Australian Open run come to an end against German second seed Alexander Zverev in the third round.
The 23-year-old Briton, playing in his first overseas Grand Slam tournament, lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Melbourne.
Fearnley, ranked 92nd, earned direct entry into the first major of season on the back of a meteoric rise in 2024.
After beating an injured Nick Kyrgios in a rowdy first-round atmosphere, he set up the clash against Zverev with another impressive win over France’s Arthur Cazaux.
While the Scot held his own for most of the contest, Zverev’s greater consistency was enough to see him through to the fourth round.
Meanwhile, Two-time champion Naomi Osaka is out of the Australian Open after she was forced to retire injured from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.
Japan’s Osaka was playing in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since returning from maternity leave last year.
The four-time major winner stormed to a 4-1 lead in the first set before appearing to struggle with an abdominal injury, calling for the physio at 6-5.
Osaka continued to suffer as Bencic dominated the tie-break and the 27-year-old decided to call it a day before the start of the second set.
English (US) ·