Sydney’s Jordan Thompson has come agonisingly near profitable his first ATP title after a decade of toil on the lads’s circuit earlier than succumbing in one other last of the pre-Wimbledon grass-court occasion within the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
The 29-year-old was a arrange as he went right into a second-set tiebreak within the ascendancy towards Tallon Griekspoor on Sunday just for the Dutchman to struggle again to win 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in entrance of his cheering dwelling followers.
For Thompson, it was an analogous despondent conclusion to his solely earlier go to to an ATP last at this similar match in 2019 when he ended up shedding in straight units to Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
This time, issues seemed way more promising for the Australian grass-court specialist as he drew first blood towards world No.38 Griekspoor, who had already knocked out two different Australians, Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin, en path to the ultimate.
Thompson had excessive hopes, particularly after getting the higher of Griekspoor of their solely earlier assembly on a tough court docket at last-year’s Davis Cup quarter-final tie between Australia and the Netherlands in Malaga.
And after a protracted wait to get on the court docket following rain delays and a marathon girls’s last, world No.103 Thompson created the one two possibilities within the opening stanza to crack his opponent after they’d had an early trade of breaks.
In the tiebreak, Thompson saved his nerve to prevail after seeing a 4-0 lead disappear and when he fought again to interrupt Griekspoor when the Dutchman was serving for the second stanza at 5-4, it appeared as if he had grabbed the initiative.
But Griekspoor, who reckoned it was a lifetime dream to win a match on dwelling turf, managed the next tiebreak and earned the only real third-set break within the sixth recreation earlier than happening to win in two hours 37 minutes.
The disappointment for Thompson, who had reached a semi-final the earlier weekend at a grass-court Challenger occasion in Surbiton, can have been offset by the truth that he is moved into the top-100 once more and can begin his subsequent occasion at Queen’s Club this week again at No.76.
In the London occasion, Thompson will open up towards former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, who he beat earlier within the week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
On Sunday, Popyrin missed his probability to make the primary draw at Queen’s when he was overwhelmed in qualifying by Frenchman Arthur Fils 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3).
Unseeded report five-time champion Andy Murray faces a troublesome opening match in the primary draw towards Australian world No.18 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, within the German match at Halle, Nick Kyrgios, a semi-finalist final yr, might be hoping for a dramatic enchancment in his comeback following his hobbling, first-round exit to a grass-court novice in Stuttgart.
The Wimbledon finalist will face a testing opener towards Italian Lorenzo Sonego, the world No.41 on Tuesday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
