Draper wins thriller to join Fearnley in round three

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Meeting place: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app

British number one Jack Draper dug deep into his reserves to beat home hope Thanasi Kokkinakis over five grueling sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Draper, seeded 15th, has been dealing with a hip injury but came through to win 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 3-6 7-5 6-3 in Melbourne.

Kokkinakis, ranked 71st, served for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, but 23-year-old Draper broke at love and went on to win the decider with a single late break.

“I’m really proud of the way I competed and I finally came through, I’m very happy about that,” Draper said.

Jacob Fearnley, a childhood friend of Draper, previously became the first Briton to reach the last 32 at this year’s tournament – his first overseas Grand Slam.

The British number three continued his astonishing rise with a 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-3 win over France’s Arthur Cazaux amid a raucous atmosphere at Melbourne Park.

The 23-year-old Scot kept his composure to beat home favorite Nick Kyrgios in his opening match and backed up that victory with another assured display.

The world number 92, who only left university last April, has been rewarded with a draw against next German seed Alexander Zverev.

Draper demonstrates durability again

As Draper slumped to a fourth-set breakdown, his lack of preparation for the season’s first major appeared to have taken its toll.

His hip injury sabotaged his off-season work, and Monday’s hard-fought opening win over Argentina’s Mariano Navone was his first competitive game since late October.

With a whopping 88 unforced errors coming from his racquet, the Englishman had to “show heart” to beat Navone in over four hours.

Draper admitted afterward that he had to “take care of” his body.

It’s a testament to his increasing durability – mentally as well as physically – that he was able to navigate his way past Kokkinakis in yet another marathon fight.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to come here,” Draper said.

“I know my tennis is improving, this match would have really helped me again.”

Draper also had to block out the noise of a ferocious home crowd rooting for their player – at times too much for chair umpire Marijana Veljovic – heading into the third round for the first time in his career.

Despite his own physical problems with a shoulder injury, Kokkinakis still managed to serve at a barely believable level – especially in the first set, where he barely missed a first serve.

The 28-year-old Australian continued to dominate his games in the fourth set to serve out for the match, but it proved difficult to get over the line.

Draper put his hand to his ear after he recovered, signaling how much he enjoyed the match.

A tight, deciding set could have swung either way, but Draper pounced at a crucial moment and served to love before a subdued celebration.

“My first game was four hours and I don’t want to be here that long,” Draper added.

“But I’m getting better every set and I’m really proud of the way I’m going with my tennis.”

Rapidly rising Fearnley continues the ascent

Hardly anyone outside British tennis circles had heard of Fearnley this time last year.

While his eyes were on the pinnacle of the sport at Melbourne Park, he played events on the ITF Tour at the third level and was still completing his kinesiology degree at university in the United States.

Fearnley honed his skills in the “brutal” American college tennis system, which allowed him to come out of his shell and create the steely character that has served him well in his early days as a professional.

Last April, he left Texas Christian University, and then came the amazing rise, which has been one of the fastest in the history of the ATP.

Winning five ATP Challenger events in 2024 moved him into the top 100 and enabled him to qualify directly for this year’s Australian Open main draw.

Like every other test he’s faced in recent months, he hasn’t been fazed by the experience.

After beating 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios in front of a partisan home crowd on Monday, Fearnley might have been forgiven for thinking it would be a quieter evening on the outer courts.

But with a vocal French support backing Cazaux and also encouraging the British fans, his college tennis experience helped him again.

Fearnley trailed 2-0 before a rain delay and quickly went down again when they returned to the pitch an hour later in cool and windy conditions.

He lost serve again early in the second set, but immediately broke back and swung the momentum in his favor.

His fluid and quick groundstrokes were too much for Cazaux to handle, allowing him to win the final two sets before looking stunned as he clinched the victory.