Edinburgh tennis ace Jacob Fearnley is expected to begin his 2026 campaign at the Brisbane Open, his agent has revealed.
But because it is only a 32 man event – women are also competing at the Queensland tennis centre – it is likely that Jacob will have to attempt to gain one of the four available qualifying places.
Brisbane qualifying starts on 2 January with the main draw running from January 4-11.
After Brisbane, Jacob will be keen to gain acceptance for another local hard court event – perhaps Adelaide, which is immediately prior to the Australian Open in Melbourne. There he has direct acceptance having finished 2025 as world No 71, albeit he had been as high as No 49 in 2025 before a series of niggling injuries disrupted his progress.
Five other Britons have direct acceptance to the Australian Open – Jack Draper, Cam Norrie, Emma Raducanu, Sonny Kartel and Fran Jones,
Meanwhile, in a short but engaging interview with sportscotland Jacob has named his three most inspirational people.
“From a tennis standpoint Andy Murray was a big one for me being Scottish and British. Growing up seeing what he (Murray) was doing was pretty incredible. i also liked Rafael Nadal, his determination and the way he fought on the match court was really cool for me to see as a young kid” said Jacob whose third pick comes from the heart of family.
My grandad (Bill Fearnley) was a bit role model for me. He really inspired me to get into the game and shaped my love of tennis” said Jacob.
Jacob’s mum, Samantha, a keen player at the Dalkeith club, endorsed Jacob’s family choice, saying: “The Grandad that Jacob is referring to is my father, Bill Fearnley, with whom he was very close. He and my mum, Bet, loved watching him (Jacob) play tennis and I think it would be correct to say they were Jacob’s biggest fans!!”
