Beaten Fearnley caught 'off guard' by noisy US Open crowd
Britain's Jacob Fearnley says he was caught "off guard" by a noisy US Open crowd as German third seed Alexander Zverev made his greater experience count in a second-round win.
Fearnley, 24, showed spirit to save five match points against the three-time major finalist, but it was too late to stop his New York main-draw debut coming to an end with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 defeat.
The pair played in Thursday's night session on Louis Armstrong Stadium, which is infamous for a constant hubbub of chatter during matches.
"I hadn't played on a court with that much noise before – it caught me by surprise," said 60th-ranked Fearnley, who only made his professional debut last year.
"I wasn't angry, I just didn't expect it. Now I know and I can deal with it.
"Alex didn't look that stressed about it. It's not a problem, it creates a cool atmosphere.
"I just have to get used to it because tennis usually played in silence – but there it is always constant background noise."
Fearnley's exit means Cameron Norrie, who plays Novak Djokovic in the third round on Friday, is the only Briton left in the men's singles draw.
British number one Jack Draper, who was supposed to be playing Belgium’s Zizou Bergs on Thursday, withdrew the previous day because of an arm injury.
- Can Norrie test Djokovic's 'vulnerability'?
- Tearful Gauff thanks Biles after tough US Open win
- Sinner breezes through – but still areas to 'improve'
Fearnley's progress has been so rapid over the past 15 months, it can be easy to forget how inexperienced he remains at the highest level.
Little over a year ago, the former US college student was ranked outside of the world's leading 500 players.
Since then he has soared up the rankings – cracking the top 50 in June – after a stunning introduction to the ATP Tour.
Fearnley has a habit of drawing high-profile names early in the Grand Slams and has already played on some of the iconic courts in the game.
But in recent months his form has been compromised by a nervous tension which is particularly damaging to his serve.
Fearnley hit 12 double faults against Zverev, including one in each of his service games as he lost the first set.
"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," said Fearnley, who needed treatment on a shoulder injury in the first set.
"It's definitely something I want to fix – I'm just giving points away.
"In practice I can make 100 second serves in a row, but it is something abut seeing the lights, seeing the court, and having Alex at other side of the net, which makes it so tricky.
"With that noise that crowd it is sometimes difficult. I will figure it out eventually."
The same issue affected him in a first-round win over Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, but he still had enough ability to get out of trouble against the seasoned professional.
This time, Fearnley did not get away with the same mistakes against one of the world's very best.
Zverev, who lost in the Flushing Meadows final in 2020, had enough quality to win the first two sets by a single break and raced 5-1 ahead in the third.
Heading towards defeat, Fearnley upped his level to prolong the match – wowing the crowd with explosive hitting – but it came too little too late.
It was Fearnley’s third defeat against Zvereb this year and second at a major after another straight-set loss at the Australian Open.
"Overall I played a bit better [than Melbourne], I had some lapses in concentration but I felt pretty comfortable out there," Fearnley said.
Assessing his US Open debut overall, he added: "I’m happy with the way I played and competed, mentally I thought I was good. I can take a lot from it."
