US Open 2025: Jacob fearnley Cites Crowd Noise as Factor in zverev Defeat
NEW YORK – Jacob Fearnley‘s US Open debut ended in defeat against 2020 finalist Alexander Zverev, but the young Australian attributed some of his struggles to the intensity of the New York crowd and its impact on his serve. Despite showing flashes of notable form, Fearnley was hampered by a persistent issue wiht double faults throughout the match, ultimately falling to Zverev in straight sets.
Fearnley, who cracked the top 50 in June following a strong introduction to the ATP Tour, has quickly gained attention for his ability to compete with top players and his appearances on major courts. However, recent matches have revealed a vulnerability under pressure, particularly affecting his service game. He hit 12 double faults against Zverev,including one in every service game of the first set,and 18 in his prior first-round win against Roberto Bautista Agut.
“It’s an issue and there are some quite obvious holes in my game, but I’m able to compete even when I’m not serving very well,” Fearnley said after the match. “It’s definitely somthing I want to fix - I’m just giving points away.”
The 2025 US Open marks Fearnley’s second encounter with Zverev at a major this year, following a straight-set loss at the Australian Open. He noted that Zverev kept him waiting for an extended period before the match began. “He had me standing there for almost 15 minutes after they called for the match,” Fearnley revealed.
Despite a slow start to the second and third sets,Fearnley demonstrated resilience,rallying in the third with powerful groundstrokes and athleticism. However, the early deficit proved insurmountable.
“Overall I played a bit better [than Melbourne], I had some lapses in concentration but I felt pretty comfortable out there,” Fearnley stated. He remains optimistic about his performance adding, “I’m happy with the way I played and competed, mentally I thought I was good. I can take a lot from it.”
fearnley pinpointed the atmosphere as a contributing factor to his serving difficulties. “In practise I can make 100 second serves in a row, but it is indeed something about seeing the lights, seeing the court, and having Alex at the othre side of the net, which makes it so tricky. With that noise that crowd it is indeed sometimes arduous. I will figure it out eventually.”
