Eighth seed Jordan Thompson captured his maiden career singles title on tour at the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo, held in Los Cabos, Mexico, prevailing over former World No. 2 Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-6(4) after two hours on Saturday.
After achieving a feat he has been chasing all his career, the 29-year-old from Sydney commented: “It’s been an incredible week. I spent some serious hours on the court this week, and I want to thank everyone for staying up late last night and throughout the week. The crowd was amazing.”
“It’s been a journey. I am nearly 30, lifting a trophy; I never thought I would do that,” added the 2024 Los Cabos champion.
Contesting his third tour-level final, the all-court player was under pressure as early as the first game, fending off break points against Ruud.
Then, the Aussie started to find his rhythm, going strength from strength, earning his first break in the sixth game of the opener en route to extending his advantage to 5-3.
A solid performance behind his serve - won 82 percent of the first serve points, allowed him to build the foundations to fight off a late challenge from the fourth seed, saving two break points to close out 6-3 in 53 minutes.
The Norwegian player regrouped to start the second set ahead, converting his first break point of the match in the second game to lead 2-0.
After breaking straight back, Thompson leveled up at 2-2, setting the tone of a tight second set, in which his precise net approaches would pay dividends.
Moreover, a double break in the seventh game saw the two-time ATP finalist hold to earn a 5-3 lead with an ace.
However, the relentless three-time major runner-up charged back, breaking twice to level the contest at 5-5.
The small margins between the players led to a tiebreaker, which Thompson took by hitting two winners while his adversary committed a costly double fault.
The first-time singles champion finished with 28 winners, committing just eight unforced errors, compared to Ruud’s 15 and 12.
Moreover, he won 82 percent of his net approaches, saving 11 of the 13 break points he faced, converting all three opportunities he earned.
But the journey was far from over for the man, who hit the court to play the final off the back of a dramatic three-hour, 40-minute battle to shock top seed Alexander Zverev 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2) in a semifinal ending past 1 am on Saturday.
In the quarterfinals, the fifth first-time tour champion of the season came back from a set down to defeat American Alex Michelsen 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-5, saving three three-match points in the process to notch victory after two hours and 39 minutes.
Previously, he moved past unseeded Emilio Nava and Mexican Ernesto Escobedo, both in straight sets.
On Monday, he will reach a career-high of World No. 32, having also added the Los Cabos doubles title to his name.
Doubles Duty
Alongside compatriot Max Purcell, the Australian pair overpowered Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Gonzalo Escobar 7-5, 7-6(2) at the Estadio Mextenis.
The Mexican city has become “My favorite place now, without a doubt,” he said after a remarkable week of tennis.