Eastbourne withdrawal pays off for positive Fearnley

Jacob Fearnley says his stunning comeback win over Alex Michelsen at Wimbledon justified his decision to pull out of Eastbourne last week with a back problem.

The 24-year-old Scot beat the American 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-2 to set up a second-round match against Spain's Jaume Munar.

"Eastbourne is a big event, but I knew I wanted to be ready for Wimbledon and I wanted to play my best tennis at Wimbledon," Fearnley told the BBC when looking forward to Thursday afternoon's game on Court 12.

"That's why I made the decision and it paid off."

After reaching a career high of 49 after a rapid rise up the world rankings since emerging from college tennis two years ago, Fearnley has slipped to 159, not helped by recurring injury problems.

"I actually feel really good and one of the things I was saying to the coach, I actually could have gone on for a few more sets out there," he said.

"So that's pretty positive considering where I was a week ago. It wasn't looking great for me in terms of the back.

"So just really happy with the way I've been able to respond to that.

"Obviously I had a rib injury, which took me out for two months, and the back's a recurring thing, but it feels good and I'm really happy with where I am physically."

Fearnley was asked how he managed to recover from two sets down against Michelsen, the 21-year-old who is 113 places higher in the rankings.

"I just had to dig deep," he said. "I knew I was close and just managed to find some level in the last three sets and I'm really happy with the way I finished the match.

"I definitely started returning better, which really made a difference and put a lot of pressure on his service games."

Now Fearnley faces a first meeting against an opponent who, at 44, is two places above Michelsen in the rankings and fresh from his own confidence-boosting 6-1 6-4 6-3 demolition of Queen's Club champion Francisco Cerundolo.

"I know Munar well - we've practiced a lot," he said of the 29-year-old. "He's an incredible competitor and an incredible player, so I'm expecting a really tough battle.

"I'm just really happy I'm going to get another shot at a match on one of these unbelievable grass courts."