Jordan Thompson has described his run to his first ATP title as a ‘miracle’ after beating fourth seed Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday.
The 29-year-old held his nerve to prevail 6-3, 7-6(4), over the three-time Grand Slam finalist. Thompson broke Ruud once during the opening set but experienced more resistance in the second where he had to battle back from a break down and then dropped serve when trying to close the match out at 5-4. Despite the blip, he prevailed in the tiebreaker. Overall, the world No.40 hit 27 winners against eight unforced errors and won 80% of his first service points.
Thompson’s run to his maiden ATP trophy has been a rollercoaster. Before taking on Ruud, he ousted Alexander Zverev in a marathon semi-final encounter that lasted more than three hours. Also in the quarter-finals, he bounced back from a 0-6, 0-3, deficit to beat Alex Michelsen. His other two wins were over Ernesto Escobedo in the first round and Emilio Nava in the second.
“I really have no idea [how I won],” Thompson said.
“I spent so many hours on the court this week, and in the quarter-final, I could have got double-bagelled – I could have been losing 6-0, 6-0 – and now I’m about to lift the trophy, so I think it’s still a miracle.”
Thompson is the fifth first-time champion on the ATP Tour this season. As a result of his victory, he will rise to a ranking high of No.32 on Monday when the standings are updated.
“We’ve been putting in some seriously hard work and it’s good to see that it pays off,” he said.
“It’s been a journey. I’m nearly 30 and lifting a trophy, I never thought I’d do that.”
The Australian is the first player ranked outside the top 25 to have beaten Ruud on the Tour this year. Shortly after their clash, he defeated the Norweigan for a second time in the doubles semi-final. Thompson and partner Max Purcell secured a 7-6(1), 6-3, victory over Ruud and William Blumberg. They will play the final later today.
