It’s that time of the year when the partisan British crowd gathers to watch two absolute marquee events in their backyard. The Queen’s Club Championships and Wimbledon. The ATP 500 event is on its way with big names like Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper leading the draw.
Just like every year, the crowd would hope for one of their local boys to make a deep run in one of the events. The last run of cheer for the crowd came a long time back in 2016, when Sir Andy Murray remarkably won both events in a month. Since then, the crowd has eagerly waited, and it is the same this year too.
British players shine at Queen’s Club
The Queen’s Club draw of 32 featured five British players. A promising second seed in the form of Jack Draper will be followed keenly. Three wild cards, Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie, and Billy Harris. Jacob Fearnley is the fifth Brit in the draw. As the expectations of one of the five to make a deep run rose, Monday saw mixed reactions from the fans.
Three out of the five Brits took the court and two emerged victorious. Jacob Fearnley came up against Australian Alex Bolt and displayed some ruthless tennis to seal the match 6-2 6-4 in no time. Dan Evans had a tougher draw than his peers as he was drawn against seventh seed American Francis Tiafoe. However, to the amazement of most, Evans displayed high-quality tennis to see out the American 7-5, 6-2.
The sweetness of the two victories came with a tinge of sourness as Cameron Norrie, the third Brit to take court, couldn’t come up with the goods. He was drawn against Jakub Mensik, and the Brit was not good enough over three sets. Norrie and Mensik were going neck to neck in the first set before Mensik sealed it 8-6 in the tiebreak. Norrie was magnificent in the second as he fought back to win it 6-1. To the surprise of most, Norrie’s level dropped significantly in the third set. Mensik, this time, stamped the set 6-1 to end Norrie’s chances at Queen’s.
The remaining two Brits, Jack Draper and Billy Harris, will take to the court on Tuesday. Fans will hope that both the local boys can bag wins.
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch – USA TODAY Sports
