Scotland has a new tennis champion today after Jacob Fearnley took the Rothesay Open title in Nottingham by coming from behind to defeat fellow British player Charles Broom 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Jacob, 22, learned the game playing in his grandfather’s backyard in Dalkeith with his mum Sam, also an accomplished player.
More recently he has just finished a degree course at Texas Christian University where he excelled in inter uni competition.
He follows in the footsteps of fellow Scot Andy Murray who took the Paul Hutchins Trophy at Nottingham in 2023 – but any comparisons at this stage can wait not least because unlike Andy the new champion has come through the US college system coincidentally at the same establishment as Cam Norrie with whom he played doubles this week.
Jacob had to negotiate two qualifying rounds and in the first one he won a third set tie-break 10-8 in order to progress.
Currently ranked 525 in the world Jacob will climb to around 250; as well as a winners cheque for around £17,000 he will find a number of doors quickly opening in terms of acceptances and wild cards.
Ahead 4-2 in the opening set Jacob lost four successive games but steadied himself brilliantly to take the match into a decider where he closed out victory with three aces followed by a virtual ace on match point.
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