Fearnley edges Bautista Agut in US Open opener, then falls to Zverev

Jacob Fearnley’s rapid rise on the ATP Tour produced a dramatic first US Open main‑draw win but ended in the second round after a straight‑sets defeat to Alexander Zverev on Thursday night at Flushing Meadows. The British number three battled nerves, a vocal heckler and persistent serving problems to beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a late‑night first‑round match, then was overpowered 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 by the German third seed on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Fearnley’s debut victory at the US Open was hard earned. The Scot, who has climbed rapidly from outside the world’s top 500 little more than a year ago to crack the top 50 in June, saved a set point at 4-5 in the opener and recovered after a third set that saw him broken three times and commit eight double faults. He finished the match with 18 double faults and a first‑serve percentage below 50 across the opening three sets, which he and others attributed to nerves in the highest‑pressure moments. The match, moved to Grandstand after an earlier contest ran long, lasted about three hours and 24 minutes.

“When you’re serving for the match, serving to stay in the set, they came at the highest tension moments,”...