‘NOT IN GREAT CONDITION’: THOMPSON ADVANCES DESPITE PHYSICAL ISSUES

Walking into the Foro Itálico for the first time - the home of Rome’s annual ATP and WTA 1000 event - it was instantly evident that the grounds blend seamlessly with the surrounding city.

Towering Roman statues and amphitheatre-style seating on the outer courts make for a majestic sporting venue, and a decent place to watch six Australians begin their campaigns.

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Three Aussies commenced play at 11am, and being spread sparingly across the enormous site (stretching more than a kilometre end to end), it was near impossible to keep an eye on them all.

Jordan Thompson stepped up onto the newly developed 'Super Tenis Arena' to face big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard for the third time in four Masters 1000 events.

And as he did in Miami and Monte Carlo, Thompson again had the 21-year-old’s measure, despite a slow start.

“I feel like every time I play him, he’s going to come up with a different game plan, but all in all, I think he’s going to do what he does best (serve well) and I’m going to do what I do best (return well),” Thompson told The First Serve.

“So, I’m a bit of a nightmare match up for him (smiling).”

After dropping the opener 6-3, the first set he’d conceded in five matches against Perricard, Thompson began to make inroads on the serve, neutralising the 220km/h+ bombs to force a decider.

Just as the third set looked headed for a tiebreak, a one-hour rain delay halted play, and after an unconventional court drying process, Thompson held his nerve to close it out 7-5.

However, ‘Thomo’ told us post-match that despite the victory, he’s still struggling with his health.

“(My body is) not in great condition, honestly," Thompson revealed.

"I’ve just been hitting with Marinko for one hour a day for the last three days, and yesterday I played my first practice set for an hour.

"The body’s been a bit of an issue this year. It started with a rupturing the plantar fasciitis (heel) and then a couple of little tears and then an oblique tear,” he said.

Thompson will face the in-form Brandon Nakashima next up, where the American holds a 4-2 head-to-head record, with the pair having never met on clay.

The Five Aussies to Exit in Rome

Rinky Hijikata - playing Frenchman Corentin Moutet and in front of a full house - jumped to a one-set lead and had his opponent carrying one less functioning tennis racquet in his bag.

But from then on, inconsistency crept into the 24-year-old Aussie’s game, dropping the second set 1-6 and holding serve until being broken at 5-6 in the decider.

It’s a brutal way to exit for Hijikata, who lost both his sets to Reilly Opelka in Madrid in the same manner despite playing quality tennis for a large period.

After going down in straight sets to compatriot Ajla Tomljanovic in the final round of qualifying, Olivia Gadecki received a last-minute lucky loser reprieve to play Caroline Dolehide.

Seeking to capitalise and record her first WTA win since late January in Singapore, Gadecki fought back after dropping a tight opening set 6-7(5) to force a decider.

After staying on par until 2-2 in the third, a few untimely unforced errors saw the 23-year-old drop the final four games of the match.

After qualifying for another WTA 1000 event, 19-year-old Maya Joint was the third Aussie to bow out in three sets on Wednesday, against Brit Emma Raducanu.

Seeking just her second WTA win on clay and third top-50 win of her career, Joint was in control of the battle early before getting broken late in the first set.

Just as the US Open champion began to assert herself in the second, leading 5-4 and serving for the match, the Aussie teen showcased her mental resilience, and incredible backhand, to fight back and force a decider.

Ultimately, as the chill set in on a late night in Rome, Joint suffered a 5-7 7-6(1) 3-6 defeat.

In earlier action, Tomljanovic - who qualified at WTA 1000 level for a second time this year - was unable to rediscover her best tennis, exiting 6-3 6-2 to Varvara Gracheva.

Chris O'Connell would also have been dissapointed with his performance, suffering a 3-6 2-6 loss to lucky loser Cam Norrie.

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