Australia’s Jordan Thompson has once again lived up to his reputation as a clay-court spoiler, overcoming injury and French power-server Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a gritty Italian Open showdown that ended in a final-set tiebreak.

On a damp and dramatic day at Rome’s Foro Italico, the 31-year-old Thompson weathered a barrage of 13 aces—including a thunderous 235km/h serve—from the towering 21-year-old Frenchman to clinch the match 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), marking his third win over Mpetshi Perricard in just six weeks.

Despite a lingering oblique muscle strain and a troubled clay-court season that saw him skip Madrid and withdraw mid-tournament in Barcelona, Thompson dug deep to extend his head-to-head dominance to 5-0 over the highly touted youngster.

“I honestly wasn’t sure I could play today,” Thompson admitted to Tennis Channel. “But I’m glad I rolled the dice—though I may be paying for it tomorrow.”

Known for his gritty returns and high-kicking second serve that frustrates big hitters, Thompson called himself a “nightmare match-up” for the French prospect, adding, “He doesn’t want to see me—and I don’t blame him.”

Next, Thompson faces a tough second-round test against world No. 29 Brandon Nakashima of the U.S., with whom he’s split recent Wimbledon encounters.

While Thompson flies the Aussie flag into the next round, compatriots Chris O’Connell and Rinky Hijikata bowed out in straight and grinding losses, respectively. O’Connell fell to British veteran Cam Norrie 6-3, 6-2, while Hijikata endured a two-and-a-half hour battle against France’s Corentin Moutet before losing 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Joint wasn’t the only Australian to exit on Wednesday. Olivia Gadecki lost a tight three-setter to American Caroline Dolehide 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-2, while Ajla Tomljanovic was ousted 6-3, 6-4 by Varvara Gracheva.

Daria Saville remains the last Australian standing in the women’s draw and faces a tough second-round clash against in-form Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, fresh from a quarterfinal run in Madrid.


By WafricNews Desk.