Australia’s Jordan Thompson advances to round of 32

“The only thing that brought me a smile is obviously the win, and the fact that I didn’t have to be out there any more because it was tough,” he said, having already sunk himself into an ice bath before speaking to reporters. “I mean, even the fifth set, I had a couple of chances, and I was just leaning up against the scoreboard, wishing it was four-all, five-all, closer to the finish line. It’s just ultimately frustrating [how my body feels].” Thompson has rallied to win from a two-set deficit in the first round at each of the past three Wimbledon editions, and six of his last 12 matches at the All England Club have remarkably gone the distance. As critics, including American star Jessica Pegula, call for men’s matches to be reduced to best-of-three-sets, Thompson had his own take after the first round: “That’s bollocks. There’s a reason it’s been five sets. I’m a traditionalist. I don’t know if it gets any more traditional than Wimbledon, so I don’t agree with that one bit.” Wimbledon’s upset-strewn opening few days, which Bonzi contributed to by dumping Daniil Medvedev out of the tournament, means Thompson suddenly has a major opportunity to reach the last 16.

He faces the winner between 461st-ranked British wildcard Arthur Fery, who ousted Australia’s 20th seed Alexei Popyrin, and Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the third round, with fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz his likely round-of-16 opponent if they make it that far. “It’s hard not to [see this as an opportunity]. I mean, there’s no beating around the bush – it could be a lot worse,” Thompson said. “I wish my body was in a different circumstance, but good with the bad.” Thompson, who is relying on daily yoga and extended sessions on the massage table with physiotherapist Luke Fuller to keep him going, looked to be wilting physically when he fell two-sets-to-one down and faced double break point in the fifth game of the fourth set. But instead he launched some rearguard action that sparked a tense decider.

It started with a winner after back-to-back overheads then a wonderful angled backhand volley beyond Bonzi’s racquet, and he reeled off four games in a row to level the match. The net is where Thompson won this contest, more than doubling the Frenchman’s points from that part of the court. His net-heavy approach was not atypical for him, but was also his way of avoiding gruelling baseline rallies that his back would not have appreciated. “I did what I could, and tried to keep getting forward,” Thompson said. “Maybe, I got a little bit lucky with picking the right way. But I think that’s just me spending a lot of time up at net. Risk, reward, luck – call it what you want. But I think I came out on top of most of those points.”

In a match of snap momentum swings, Thompson was also repeatedly forced to dig deep early in the fifth set as Medvedev’s first-round conqueror poured on the pressure. Thompson staved off a break point in the third game. Bonzi saved two of his own in the next. They both escaped from tight games with several deuces, but it was Thompson who held firm to outlast his French foe. Jordan Thompson in action. Credit: Mark Peterson/Tennis Australia He explained after his first-round win over Czech Vit Kopriva that he needed to shelve his “elevator” serve – which helps him generate significant power from his leg-drive beginning – to start in a more upright stance because of the problem in the sacroiliac joint in his back. Thompson appeared to have more freedom in the early stages, but started looking ginger and reverted to a more upright action through the middle stages before his first serve came to life when he needed it most.

After winning no more than 71 per cent of his first-serve points in any of the first three sets, he claimed 31 of 36 of them across the last two sets in a match-winning development as he rushed the net at every opportunity. Thompson finished with 20 aces and 76 winners overall to Bonzi’s 13 and 49, respectively. Loading Four more Australians will be in action on Thursday, headlined by No.11 seed and reigning quarter-finalist Alex de Minaur first-up on court two against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. Rinky Hijikata will pit wits with 10th-seeded, fireball-serving American Ben Shelton on the same court later in the day, while Aleks Vukic will step onto Wimbledon’s fabled centre court to face world No.1 Jannik Sinner. Daria Kasatkina rounds out the Australian contingent on court three against Irina-Camelia Begu.

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