British tennis star ranked No.181 stuns top-20 rival after quitting college to turn pro | Tennis | Sport
There’s a British tennis player named Jack, kitted out in Vuori, making waves at the Dallas Open. No, it’s not world No. 12 Jack Draper. Instead, it’s former college tennis player Jack Pinnington Jones, who is through to his first tour-level quarter-final. The 22-year-old followed in the footsteps of fellow Brits Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley by attending Texas Christian University in the United States, but decided not to return following his junior year, and turned professional last summer.
And the decision is paying off for world No. 181 Pinnington Jones, who is enjoying the best week of his career in Dallas. He came through qualifying to reach the main draw and stunned world No. 20 Flavio Cobolli in the first round.
The British No. 7 needed just 53 minutes to beat the Wimbledon quarter-finalist 6-2 6-2 to earn the biggest win of his career. Pinnington Jones then followed it up by beating fellow former college tennis star Eliot Spizzirri 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(4) to reach a maiden ATP Tour quarter-final, where he will face 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.
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The 22-year-old is still getting to grips with life on tour after leaving college last summer. It was worth it, however. He won his first Grand Slam main draw match at Wimbledon last year, beating Tomas Etcheverry, and now finds himself in the last eight at an ATP 500 event.
Discussing a whirlwind few months, Pinnington Jones told the ATP: “I did preseason in Florida, did Thanksgiving in Texas, and then I went to Hawaii, Australia, Doha, Egypt, London [and now] Dallas. I’ve basically done a loop. I’ve got a great team around me, I’m really thankful I’ve got support from the LTA and am leaning on them to sort of help guide me on how to manage the stresses, the travel, the stuff that I’m completely new to and leaning on them when I can. That’s the biggest thing. I’d say [it has been about] travel, jet lag, and then just trying to control what I control: going out, competing, practising the best I can, and just trying to improve.”
Pinnington Jones may have given up on his senior year at TCU, but he headed to his alma mater to train ahead of the Dallas Open, and it clearly paid off. “I spent three years at TCU. Fort Worth, and Texas feels like a second home in a way,” he added.
“There are so many great people that I have met along my journey through college here and so many of them have been coming out to support. It really feels like a home tournament and especially to have the run I’m having, it’s really special.”
Pinnington Jones was ranked outside the world’s top 300 last June when he left college for the professional circuit. He’s now set to make his debut inside the top 140, and can push inside the top 110 if he beats Cilic to reach the semi-finals in Dallas.
