• Scot loses 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 but departs with praise ringing in his ears
• No 2 seed Zverev eases into fourth round to meet Arthur Cazaux

It took just 20 minutes into one of the most significant occasions of Jacob Fearnley’s uncommonly short professional tennis career for the 23-year-old to receive evidence of the soaring level required to consistently trouble the very best tennis players in the world.

With the score at 2-3, 0-15 early in his first grand slam third round match, Fearnley had swept to the net behind an excellent combination of vicious forehands, a strong move that would have comfortably earned him the point against his earlier opponents. Instead, he watched on helplessly as Alexander Zverev effortlessly tracked down his approach shot and pounded a backhand passing shot straight down the line for a clean winner.