Jordan Thompson survives the longest match in tournament history to progress to a fourth ATP-level semifinal this year in Atlanta.
Atlanta, United States , 27 July 2024 | Vivienne Christie
Jordan Thompson will contest his fourth ATP-level singles semifinal this season after an epic win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Atlanta Open.
Thompson battled for three hours and three minutes to record the 7-6(5) 4-6 6-3 victory, setting up a final-four showing with Jerry Shang at the ATP 250 tournament.
It adds to a career-best season for Thompson, who peaked at world No.32 in the singles rankings soon after winning his first ATP singles crown at Los Cabos.
The 30-year-old Sydneysider was also a semifinalist at Brisbane and the prestigious Queen’s Club grass-court tournament.
🎾⏱️ History rewritten! With a thrilling match lasting three hours and three minutes, Jordan Thompson and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina just shattered the tournament’s record for the longest match. #AtlantaOpen | @atptour | @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/vgN6NlByvp
— Atlanta Open 🎾 (@ATLOpenTennis) July 26, 2024
Amid blistering conditions in Atlanta, the fourth-seeded Thompson relied on both a measure of determination and his trademark athleticism to secure victory over Davidovich Fokina on his second match point.
His 40 winners were exactly double the 20 amassed by the fifth-seeded Spaniard but Thompson was nevertheless made to work in every minute of the marathon encounter, with Davidovich Fokina saving 12 of the 14 break points he faced.
“I’m asking myself the same thing,” said Thompson with a smile, when asked how he’d eventually pulled off the marathon victory in the testing heat.
“I mean, it’s so hot out here, (we were) playing long gruelling rallies. Luckily I did my pre-seasons pretty well when I was a kid.”
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Having entered the tournament at world No.41, Thompson now sits at No.37 in the ATP live rankings and enters a second career meeting against Shang with the opportunity to avenge a loss to the 19-year-old in the first round of Indian Wells earlier this year.
Further motivation could come from Shang’s quarterfinal win over Max Purcell, with whom Thompson has also thrived in doubles this year.
At Wimbledon, the Australian duo held three championship points in the men’s doubles final, with Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Brit Henry Patten claiming a come-from-behind victory.
Thompson, who showcased his speed around the court and some deft net play against Davidovich Fokina, believes doubles has contributed to his singles rise.
“This is the first season that I’ve really decided to give doubles a crack. I think it’s just great for your skills in singles,” he related in an on-court interview.
“It makes the court look bigger when you’re returning, so that’s definitely a plus. And obviously you need to volley in doubles, so it helps up at net.”’
Purcell and Thompson were quarterfinalists in Atlanta, with Swedish-Dutch duo Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek advancing to the semifinals via a walkover.
It means the No.4 seed is fully focused on his semifinal assignment with Shang, a qualifier in Atlanta this week.
“Jerry is just a really, really good player, left-hander, young fella, and he’s coming up,” said Thompson.
“He feels like he’s got nothing to lose, and he’s playing that way.”
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