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Australian Jordan Thompson has eradicated world No.55 Brandon Nakashima in a five-set first-round battle at Wimbledon 2023.
London, Wimbledon, 3 July 2023 | Leigh Rogers and Matt Trollope
Jordan Thompson has staged a steely comeback to make a victorious begin to his Wimbledon 2023 marketing campaign.
The 29-year-old Australian recovered from a two-set deficit for simply the third time in his profession, roaring again to report a 2-6 2-6 6-4 7-6(4) 6-3 win towards world No.55 Brandon Nakashima in an enthralling first-round showdown.
Nakashima made the fourth spherical in a career-best run on the All England Membership final 12 months and the 21-year-old American’s grass-court nous was on show early.
However a affected person Thompson ultimately wore down his higher-ranked opponent, with 16 aces and 36 winners serving to him notch the sixth five-set win of his profession.
“The efficiency was a bit scrappy early on,” Thompson admitted. “(I used to be down) 2-6 2-6 in what felt like a heartbeat.
“However I did every part I may to vary issues and it ended up paying off.
“It was positively one of many higher emotions, profitable that closing level (after) being two-sets-to-love down and never enjoying my greatest.”
Thompson dealt with each problem thrown at him – together with an premature rain delay within the sixth recreation of the deciding set, when the world No.70 had a break level on Nakashima’s serve.
After spending greater than an hour within the locker rooms, Thompson managed to snare an important break within the first level again on court docket.
From there, Thompson closed out their Courtroom 9 battle to develop into the primary Australian in 16 years to win an opening-round match at Wimbledon from two-sets down.
3 – The third such win of his profession at Grand Slams, Jordan Thompson is the third Australian up to now three a long time to win from two units down within the opening spherical at Wimbledon, after Pat Rafter (1997) and Wayne Arthurs (2007). Grit.#Wimbledon | @atptour @Wimbledon @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/Li0hQQ5ata
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 3, 2023
This propels Thompson, who has now received 10 of his 14 grass-court singles matches this season, into the second spherical at Wimbledon for the third consecutive 12 months.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic awaits within the second spherical.
“It’s not day by day you play Novak at Wimbledon,” an excited Thompson mentioned about dealing with the No.2 seed for the primary time.
“That’s why we play tennis, to play one of the best gamers on the largest phases.”
Max Purcell would possibly disagree with that sentiment, after bowing out to seventh seed Andrey Rublev on Courtroom 3 earlier within the day.
And whereas there have been brilliant spots for the 25-year-old Aussie, Rublev was in the end too highly effective and regular, storming into the second spherical in straight units.
Purcell’s final reminiscence of competing on the All England Membership was a resoundingly constructive one; he mixed with compatriot Matt Ebden to win the gents’s doubles title final 12 months.
Within the opening phases of his conflict with Rublev, that consolation on the lawns shone by way of as he pressured the Russian repeatedly on serve.
But towards the tide, Rublev scored a service break within the sixth recreation to take a 4-2 lead, and maintained his benefit all through the remainder of the set.
World No.64 Purcell settled, more and more irritating Rublev together with his large number of shot-making expertise. He constructed a 5-2 lead, however shortly afterward, he misplaced his approach.
From 5-3, 30-15 up, Purcell misplaced 19 consecutive factors, shedding the second set and taking place a break within the third.
He didn’t get well, with Rublev profitable 6-3 7-5 6-4 in simply over 90 minutes.
Purcell later revealed he was enjoying with a fractured proper foot.
It was additionally a difficult day for women’ singles debutante Storm Hunter, who exited to China’s Wang Xinyu.
Hunter had progressed by way of qualifying to earn entry into The Championships, however world No.73 Wang halted that momentum as she claimed a 6-3 6-1 victory in simply over an hour.
The world No.6 within the WTA doubles rankings, Hunter will now flip her consideration to her girls’ doubles marketing campaign alongside Belgian Elise Mertens. The 28-year-old Australian was a Wimbledon doubles semifinalist with American Caroline Dolehide in 2021.
There was higher information although for Aleksandar Vukic, who loved a dream debut on the All England Membership.
The world No.87 recorded a four-set opening-round victory towards Germany’s Daniel Altmaier.
> READ: Vukic scores breakthrough victory at Wimbledon 2023
Aussies in motion – Wimbledon
RESULTS
Gents’s singles, first spherical
Jordan Thompson (AUS) d Brandon Nakashima (USA) 2-6 2-6 6-4 7-6(4) 6-3
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) d Daniel Altmaier (GER) 6-3 7-6(1) 3-6 7-5
[7] Andrey Rublev d Max Purcell (AUS) 6-3 7-5 6-4
Girls’ singles, first spherical
Wang Xinyu (CHN d [Q] Storm Hunter (AUS) 6-3 6-1
COMING UP
Gents’s singles, first spherical
[15] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v [Q] Kimmer Coppejans (BEL)
Jason Kubler (AUS) v Ugo Humbert (FRA)
Chris O’Connell (AUS) v [Q] Hamad Medjedovic (SRB)
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [Q] Dominic Stricker (SUI)
Girls’ singles, first spherical
Daria Saville (AUS) v [WC] Katie Boulter (GBR)
Gents’s singles, second spherical
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v [2] Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) v TBC
> READ: Doubles attracts revealed for Wimbledon 2023
Guide on-line, play right now: Go to play.tennis.com.au to get out on court docket and have some enjoyable!
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