Jacob Fearnley Survives Late Fall to Win at Eastbourne

Eastbourne, England — British number two Jacob Fearnley overcame a painful late fall to secure a commanding victory over Italian fifth seed Flavio Cobolli at the Eastbourne tournament. Fearnley won the men’s singles match 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and five minutes on Tuesday.

The match took a concerning turn when Fearnley slipped while executing a backhand shot when leading 5-1 in the second set. Both the crowd and umpire expressed worry, but the 23-year-old managed to finish the match. Afterward, Fearnley described his injury as a minor issue, saying, “Not too sure, it was just adrenaline getting me over the line. I feel a bit of pain, but I’m sure it’s nothing—just a little tweak.”

Fearnley’s performance was impressive, breaking Cobolli’s serve four times and hitting 21 winners compared to Cobolli’s seven. The world number 51’s victory marks another strong showing on grass courts, following a quarter-final appearance at Queen’s last week.

Cobolli, ranked 24th in the world, struggled throughout the match and voiced his frustration to the Eastbourne crowd, finishing with a disappointing 29 unforced errors.

Fearnley will face American Marcos Giron in the last 16 of the tournament. Earlier in the day, Billy Harris, a former Eastbourne semi-finalist, shocked fellow Brit Cameron Norrie, defeating him 6-4, 6-4. Harris, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser, earned only his second win over a top 100 player.

“I knew it would be a tough match today,” Harris said. “I had to play a good match and managed to stay solid in the wind.” He took a strong lead early by breaking Norrie’s serve twice.

Harris will next face Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the second round. In other news, former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Bernard Tomic secured his first ATP win since 2021 at the Mallorca Open, defeating Rinky Hijikata 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Australian, now ranked 248th, hopes to reclaim a spot in the top 100 as he prepares to face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in his next match.