Jacob Fearnley will play fellow Scot Cameron Norrie in a battle of the Texas Christian University old boys this weekend for a place in round four of the French Open tennis championships.
Norrie, who has a Scottish father and is six years older than Fearnley, left in 2017. Fearnley, 23, nrought up in Edinburgh, graduated around this time last year.
Fearnley booked his place not in the manner he would have wanted although he was a set up when home favourite Ugo Humbert, the 22nd seed and world No 24, took a heavy fall just behind his baseline when leading 4-3 with a serve break in the second set.
After temporarily retiring for treatment Humbert, whose every point was cheered to the rafters by a partisan home crowd whose support he knew exactly how to milk with strategic fist pumps, returned to court with his right leg heavily strapped.
Fearnley immediately broke back and then after one serve in the ninth game Humbert called it quits.
The denoument occurred just as neutrals must have been wondering how much more resilience Fearnley could summon up against home favourites.
In his previous tournament in Rome he had faced successive Italian heroes in Fabio Fognini and Matteo Berretinni while in the opening Grand Slam event in Melbourne he surpassed himself by silencing a Melbourne crowd and dispatching Nick Kyrgios.
There was also the slight matter of opening his Paris account against Stan Wawrinka who, although Swiss, is a French speaker adored at Roland Garros as a former title winner (2015).
At least Fearnley will soon be on British soil and guaranteed home support for a change – not that the crowds have been anti his persona just pro local opposition- when the grass courts season opens after the French Open.
On not one occasion did Fearnley, watched by his Edinburgh-based GB Davis Cup coach Leon Smith, lose his cool and if the contest had gone the full distance the Scot had to be fancied given the muscular way he powered through that opening set, trading baseline blows with his opponent in utterly gruelling fashion.
So the stage is set for British No 2 Fearnley v British No 3 Cam Norrie who followed up his win over 11th seed Dimitri Medvedev by overcoming Federico Gomez in straight sets, the Argentinian having entered the draw as a “lucky loser” after being originally eliminated in qualifying.
At stake will be prize money of €265,000 and it will be interesting to see if Jacob withdraws from the doubles, he and Canadian partner Gabriel Diallo being due to meet Harry Heliovaara and Henry Patten, reigning Wimbledon champions and second seeds, tomorrow. At least Jacob will not have been too drained due to his opponent’s misfortune.
