Jacob Fearnley loses thriller against Brazilian wonderkid at Indian Wells and misses out on blockbuster British clash

Jacob Fearnley’s campaign at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is over after a thrilling first-round match with Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca.

The Scot went down 6-2 1-6 6-3 in just over two hours on his Masters 1000 Series debut against Fonseca, who is seen as one of the rising stars of the men’s game.

Fearnley briefly had control of the match when he recovered from losing the first set to take the second and then go a break up in the third, but Fonseca roared back by reeling off five straight games to overpower the Edinburgh native.

Jacob Fearnley went down in three sets to Joao Fonseca. | Getty Images

Only one world ranking spot separates Fonseca (80) and Fearnley (81) and the duo, who have trained together in the past, put on a show amid difficult windy conditions in the Californian desert. However, Fearnley was unable to see off a good recovery from the 18-year-old, and was left to rue a poor error on a smash late in the second set that handed the initiative to the teenager.

Fonseca sets up a second-round clash with another Brit in Jack Draper at Indian Wells, while Fearnley is expected to head to the ATP Challenger event in Phoenix, which starts next week, ahead of qualifying for the Miami Open.

The only remaining Scottish interest in the men’s singles at Indian Wells comes in the shape of Andy Murray, who is continuing to coach Novak Djokovic. The Serb will play either Botic van de Zandsculp or Nick Kyrgios on Saturday after receiving a bye into the second round.