Thompson marks Wimbledon career milestone, Hijikata out after bad light drama

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Australian warrior Jordan Thompson is injured and ailing, but has entered uncharted territory at Wimbledon.

A debilitating back problem will shelve Thompson for an indefinite period after the grasscourt major, but his 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Italy’s Luciano Darderi – his only match this week that did not go the distance – propelled him into the last 16 at the event for the first time.

Australia’s Jordan Thompson celebrates his victory against Italy’s Luciano Darderi of Italy.

Compatriot Rinky Hijikata raved about Thompson’s gutsy effort to date with “pretty much a broken back”, and the smile on the latter’s face in victory, and the way he punched the air, illustrated what it meant to him.

The net-rushing Sydneysider, who has twice reached this stage at the US Open, is on the verge of a career-best result after a torrid year riddled by injuries to his right foot, oblique, groin and back. Promisingly, he revealed he felt physically better against Darderi.

“I’m relieved it didn’t go five [sets]. I’m super happy with the result. I mean, two-sets-to-love up – it’s a bit different from the other day, so we’ll take it,” Thompson said.

“I think results have shown that grass is probably my best surface, and it hasn’t shown at Wimbledon [previously], so it’s pleasing to get to my best result because I’ve only made fourth round at the US Open, [which is] a quicker court. To do it under the circumstances at the moment is incredible.”

The match threatened to get interesting after the temperamental Darderi dodged back-to-back break points in the third game of the third set before forcing a fourth set with some inspired hitting.

But Thompson, who rifled 19 aces and won 71 per cent of points at the net with his back brace for support again, snatched back control when the Italian crashed a forehand into the net to hand him the decisive break of serve in the sixth game of the fourth set.

Darderi’s mood darkened as the end neared, complaining to the chair umpire after Thompson delayed serving on the first point of the next game as a bee flew nearby.

It still paled in comparison to Darderi’s fury after Thompson clinched the opening set with his cap in his left hand after it came loose in his service motion. The Australian managed to catch his hat mid-air and continue the point before clinching the set with a neat backhand volley.

Luciano Darderi meets Jordan Thompson of Australia at the net following his defeat.

Darderi protested for several minutes afterwards, arguing it had distracted him, and he tossed his racquet to his chair as it became obvious he was not going to win the debate.

“My hat’s fallen off before, and I know what the rules are. It didn’t hinder him – it hindered me,” Thompson said. “I don’t know what he was complaining about … the rule is, if it doesn’t hinder the opponent, play on.”

Fifth-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who also won his opening two matches in five sets, stands between Thompson and an unlikely maiden grand slam quarter-final. Fritz downed Spain’s No.26 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.

Thompson won the pair’s most-recent clash on grass in straight sets in the Queen’s Club quarter-finals in London last year, and Fritz is preparing for a “tricky” clash.

“I’m not going on the court if I don’t think I can win,” Thompson said.

“That’s a pathetic outlook if I go out there thinking I can’t win. I won last time it was on grass, but [it was] very different grass and different circumstances. It’ll be a new day.”

Bad light drama

Thompson is one of three Australians left – along with Alex de Minaur and Daria Kasatkina – after Hijikata’s controversially suspended second-round match took a breezy 71 seconds to complete on Friday.

American 10th seed Ben Shelton, who argued animatedly but unsuccessfully for the chance to serve for the match on Thursday night, fired three aces and an unreturnable second serve on resumption that kicked over Hijikata’s head to clinch a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win.

Ben Shelton speaks with officials after play was suspended due to darkness against Rinky Hijikata.

Shelton failed to convert three match points in a row on Hijikata’s service game before chair umpire Nacho Forcadell and court supervisor Ali Nili suspended play the previous night amid boos from the crowd.

Bad light was the official reason, but the dual major semi-finalist revealed post-match it was more complicated than that.

“[The official] said it was a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down. That was including the changeover, so there wouldn’t be enough time to complete the game,” Shelton said.

“I was telling him, ‘I only need 60 seconds’. That’s kind of what my goal was when I went out there today [but] he told me there wasn’t enough time. I was like, ‘Well, has it gone down yet, or did they give you the five-minute warning?’ … [and] he was like, ‘We don’t want it to be in the middle of the game’.

“At that point, I’m not as upset about that decision. It was a difficult decision that was forced because of what they did earlier [in not suspending play at the start of the third set].”

Shelton also played down his fury towards Forcadell as court supervisor Nili came between the duo, saying it was “nothing” and “probably looked more tense than it was”.

Speaking after advancing to the third round of the doubles with Dutchman David Pel, Hijikata said the drama did not impact the result but that he would like some clarity on the decision-making.

Rinky Hijikata plays a backhand against Ben Shelton.

The 24-year-old Australian said both he and Shelton, who next faces lucky loser Marton Fucsovics, who outlasted Gael Monfils in five sets, would have preferred the match to be suspended at the end of the second set, and queried why play stopped so much earlier on other nights.

“I don’t know what the reasoning was, but they told us. By 3-2 or 4-2 [in the third set], it was already dark, then we were playing in the dark for, like, 10, 15 minutes,” Hijikata said.

“It was slippery also. I asked the umpire as well in the third set to come check the court, [and] he said it was fine. I said, ‘Mate, I think it’s slippery’. Ben agreed … [but Forcadell] said, ‘It’s the same for both of you’, which is the case. But it also means it’s maybe not safe for both of us.”

Hijikata said it was a nightmare to return Shelton’s service thunderbolts, which topped out at 234km/h and came down at 200km/h on average.

“It’s not easy when you have someone like that coming out for one game,” he said.

“You can pick your return spots or guess all you want, but when he is serving down 145 [mph], or whatever it is, I could have guessed right, and still probably not got a racquet on it. I mean, that’s an absolute clinic on how to serve out a match if you’ve got one game to go.”

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survived a tight four-set clash with Jan-Lennard Struff, while Brit Cameron Norrie, qualifier Nicolas Jarry, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Kamil Majchrzak also advanced.

Germany’s Laura Siegmund upset Australian Open champion Madison Keys, joining Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Elise Mertens, Amanda Anisimova, lucky loser Solana Sierra, Linda Noskova and Great Britain’s Sonny Kartal as the women’s winners.

Marc McGowan travelled to Wimbledon with the support of Tennis Australia

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