Scots ace Jacob Fearnley has seen his stunning Australian Open campaign temporarily halted by the weather.
The 23-year-old tennis star from Edinburgh caused a first round upset as he defeated home hero Nick Kyrgios 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 in the opening round of competition, giving Andy Murray fans hoped that they had found a new hero to cheer for. But those who got up early for his second round clash with Frenchman Arthur Cazaux have had a long morning of waiting – after the match was suspended after two sets due to heavy rain that flooded the Melbourne courts.
It could come as a blessing in disguise to Fearnley however, who was broken in his first game and trailed 2-0 when play was suspended – with an army of ground staff now using rollers to try to clear water from the court. However organisers have said that play won’t resume for a while- with drops of rain still falling despite it being the middle of summer in Australia.
Earlier in the day Murray helped pupil Novak Djokovic to break yet another record, as he played his 430th Grand Slam match – breaking Roger Federer’s record for the most competed in. The Serb, who is aiming for an 11th Australian Open title, was pushed hard by Portuguese qualifier Jaime Faria but eventually proved too strong – recording a 6-1 ,6-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Speaking afterwards he said: “I love this sport. I love competition. I try to give my best every single time. It’s been over 20 years that I’ve been competing in Grand Slams at the highest level. Whether I win or lose, I will always leave my heart out on the court. I’m just blessed to be making another record.
“I think I responded well in the third set and particularly the fourth. He was playing lights-out tennis at the end of the second set and start of the third and I had to weather the storm. I told him at the net, ‘the future is bright for you so carry on’.”