Jordan Thompson has taken down thirtieth seed Matteo Arnaldi to equal his career-best run at a significant at Flushing Meadows.
New York, USA, 1 September 2024 | Dan Imhoff and Rhys de Deugd
Jordan Thompson is just not permitting the letdown of narrowly lacking out on his first Grand Slam seeding acquire the higher of him after seeing off Italian Matteo Arnaldi to succeed in the US Open fourth spherical.
The 30-year-old carried his momentum to a second successive defeat of a seeded opponent on the again of his straight-sets upset of seventh-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz.
Thompson’s 7-5 6-2 7-6(5) victory equalled his career-best run at a significant – a fourth-round end on the 2020 US Open – and improved his document in Grand Slam third rounds to 2-2.
Following Davis Cup teammate Alexei Popyrin’s career-best conquer reigning champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday, it heralds the second yr operating that Australia boasts two males within the spherical of 16 in New York after Rinky Hijikata and Alex de Minaur in 2023.
Ought to 10th seed De Minaur fend off Brit Dan Evans to guide an all-Australian showdown with Thompson it will pit three Australian males into the third spherical at Flushing Meadows for the primary time since 1988.
In a intently contested opening set, Thompson was biding his time as he weathered his opponent’s heavier blows and made essentially the most of alternatives to complete factors at internet.
He capitalised on a string of untamed errors to land the one break and secured the set on his sixth ace in just below an hour.
Whereas the opening set proved a battle to prize open, the second swung markedly within the Sydneysider’s favour.
Thompson was untouchable on serve in that set – he by no means conceded some extent in 4 straight holds – and it was not till the two-hour mark that his opponent got here alive together with his first break.
Arnaldi’s extra measured aggression was short-lived as he surrendered a 4-2 third-set lead and a 4-2 benefit within the tiebreak to bow out after two hours and 35 minutes.
Earlier, world No.1 Jannik Sinner introduced Chris O’Connell’s US Open marketing campaign to an in depth with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 showcase on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Whereas no match for the Australian Open champion, O’Connell, who was managing a shoulder grievance that pressured his withdrawal from the Paris Olympics, equalled his greatest Grand Slam consequence following defeats of rising Italian Mattia Bellucci and No.26 seed Nicolas Jarry.
“That was undoubtedly the most effective tennis participant I’ve ever performed,” O’Connell informed Craig Gabriel after his career-best US Open run got here to an finish.
“I’m actually pleased with it. I really feel like I’m beginning to play the tennis I used to be form of enjoying firstly of the yr. That’s what I hope to proceed with for the remainder of the yr.”
Extra to come back…
