Australian Jordan Thompson scores a five-set win against compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in opening-round action at Australian Open 2024.
Melbourne, Australia, 15 January 2024 | Jackson Mansell
Jordan Thompson has advanced to the second round at Australian Open 2024 after downing countryman Aleksandar Vukic in a five-set epic.
Pushed until the end, Thompson eventually prevailed 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2 3-6 6-4 in four hours and eight minutes.
It is the seventh five-set win of 29-year-old Thompson’s career and his first on hard court since 2017.
“(I got) out of jail there,” Thompson said. “It’s never easy playing another Aussie, Court 3, packed house, it’s loud … I’m just happy to scrape through.”
Both players dominated on serve to begin proceedings, but it was world No.64 Vukic who drew first blood and took the opening set.
World No.47 Thompson began to challenge his opponent’s serve in the second set, playing more of an attacking style.
Doubling points at the net and scoring more points on return, the aggressive nature of the recent Brisbane semifinalist saw him level after a tiebreak.
Thompson’s proactiveness to close down the court paid dividends, dominating net points seven to one. Paired with an ability to win points on his first serve, Thompson cruised through the third set.
“I’ve had most of my success moving forward (towards the net) and today, maybe I didn’t execute perfectly to get there, but when I did, I think I won the majority of points,” Thompson said.
Vukic lifted his serving in set four, losing just two points on his first serve for the set. This helped the 27-year-old put pressure on his compatriot and send the match to a decider.
In a gruelling deciding set, it remained on serve for the first nine games. However, Thompson’s big-match experience shone through in the final stages, breaking in the 10th game to seal a hard-fought victory.
He will take on Australian Open 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. It will be a rematch of their second-round battle at Indian Wells last year, which Thompson won in three sets.
“(I’m) probably going to have to play a little bit better than I did today,” Thompson said of his next challenge.
“Indian Wells was a battle, but he beat me before that at Wimbledon as well in the second round a few years ago.
“So, I know what I’m going up against. I mean he’s a quality player, he’s been a top-10 player for so long. He always…
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