Jordan Thompson has achieved his first ATP Tour championship by defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud in the finals to claim the trophy at the Los Cabos Open in Mexico.
After 11 years of competing, the 29-year-old defeated the 12th-ranked Rudd in two sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
Thompson, who was previously ranked No 40 in the world, participated in the event and emerged victorious in the final match. This victory is expected to boost his ranking to No 32, which will be a new career-high for him.
The person from Sydney competed in their third professional final, following a tough three-set win against top-ranked player and sixth-ranked player in the world, Alexander Zverev. The semi-final match lasted three hours and 42 minutes.
He played for over 12 hours during his five matches at the Mexico tournament. In the quarter-finals, he made a comeback from 0-6 0-3 and saved three match points to defeat American Alex Michelson with a score of 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5.
In the final, Thompson initially appeared to have control over Ruud, using a variety of shots to keep his opponent on the defensive.
He achieved notable triumph at the net by skillfully executing 18 out of 22 points, however, the Australian in second place continued to struggle for himself in the following set.
He was in the lead with a score of 5-3, but struggled while serving for the match at 5-4. This allowed former world No 2 Ruud to tie the score at 5-5.
Despite the distraction of a loud local crowd cheering for Ruud, Thompson managed to regain his concentration and force the match into a third set. He ultimately secured the title with a powerful forehand winner in the tiebreak.
“I dedicated countless hours on the court this week. During the quarter-final, there was a chance I could have been completely outplayed and lost 6-0, 6-0. Now, I am on the verge of winning the trophy, so it feels like a miracle,” Thompson stated after the match.
“It has been quite a journey. I am approaching 30 years old and here I am, holding a trophy. I never imagined I would achieve this.”
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He declared that Los Cabos is his top choice destination at the moment, without any hesitation.
Thompson’s previous tour-level finals came in the Netherlands in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, in 2019 and 2023.
He had a strong start to the year, defeating Rafael Nadal in the Brisbane semi-finals and making it to the quarter-finals in Dallas and Delray Beach before his success in Los Cabos.
At 25 years old, Ruud defeated defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in the semi-final. He now has the opportunity to win his 11th tour title and reclaim a spot in the top 10.
Thompson and Ruud had to face each other once more in the doubles semi-finals at Los Cabos, this time with Thompson paired up with fellow Australian Max Purcell and Ruud teaming up with William Blumberg.
Thompson now has the chance to achieve a rare feat by being the first player since Nick Kyrgios (who did it at the 2022 Washington tournament) to win both the singles and doubles titles at an ATP Tour event.
Source: theguardian.com
