US Open 2025: Jacob Fearnley bows out in second round to Alexander Zverev
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Britain’s Jacob Fearnley lost out on the chance to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows after being beaten by third seed Alexander Zverev on Thursday night.
The British No.3 put in a spirited performance under the lights on Louis Armstrong Stadium but couldn’t get over the line as he eventually lost out 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes.
This match marked the third meeting between the pair this year, having faced each other at the Australian Open and Miami Open, with the German clocking his third straight victory over the Brit.
Despite the loss, Fearnley will leave New York having now secured main draw wins at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
It was a shaky start for Fearnley, who was competing on Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first time. Meanwhile, the German quickly asserted his dominance by breaking to love in the first game of the match, which was all that was needed to see out the set.
The Briton struggled to find his rhythm on serve once again - sending down 12 double faults across the match to go with the 18 he hit in the first round against Roberto Bautista Agut.
Despite managing to pull back from another early break down in the second, Fearnley couldn’t withhold the 2020 US Open runner-up for too long. At 3-3, 40-15 up, the third seed hit an incredible passing forehand winner from the baseline to clinch the decisive break and take a commanding two set lead.
With a mountain to climb and looking hampered by a shoulder injury, the end of the match looked like it was fast approaching for Fearnley who trailed 5-1 in the third - but a late twist, soon saw him mount a sensational resurgence.
An impressive leaping backhand passing winner spurred the British No.3 on to a late break as Zverev stepped up to serve for the match, before staving off four match points the following game to hold firm for 5-4 and close the gap to just one break.
However, the third seed soon managed to get over the line on his sixth match point as Fearnley returned a backhand into the net to bring an end to his time in New York.
His exit means British No.1 Emma Raducanu and Cam Norrie are the only two Brits left in the singles main draw at the US Open.
Both players will contest their third round matches on Friday 29 August with Raducanu taking on ninth seed Elena Rybakina and Norrie facing Novak Djokovic.
