Jordan Thompson claimed his first-ever ATP title as he took down former world No.2 Casper Ruud in a near-flawless display to claim the Los Cabos crown in Mexico.
The duo traded two wins apiece in their head-to-head before today’s contest, accustomed to a couple of five-set tussles at Grand Slam events - including a win for Thompson at Wimbledon back in 2021.
Nerves were always going to play a factor early on for Thompson who arrived as a clear underdog, forced to save two break-point chances in his opening service game before fending off a further two at 2-2 15-40 down - showcasing his true fighting resilience.
The breakthrough eventuated in the sixth game of the first set when frustration got the better of Ruud as the Norwegian seemed flustered by those missed opportunities, committing two unforced errors as well as succumbing to a sensational Thompson winner to get broken to love.
Despite spending over 10 hours on court this week, the Aussie looked incredibly fresh and energetic - emphatically claiming 13 points in a row to lead 5-2.
Again, tense moments were the tale when Thompson attempted to serve out the set up 40-15, but left the door ajar for the fourth seed to have a further two break points before the Sydneysider successfully closed it out on the fourth time of asking.
A slight momentum swing transpired soon after when Ruud finally broke serve after letting slip a 0-40 advantage to make it tenth time lucky. However, that didn’t last long when a touch of brilliance with a perfectly-timed lob - instantly pinching the break back.
From the three-time Grand Slam finalists’ perspective, the 25-year-old wasn’t doing an awfully lot wrong, racking up consistent numbers on first and second serve percentages in the mid-60s but struggled to cope mentally in the key moments.
Serving the last game with old balls at 3-3, Thompson broke to love for the second time in the match thanks to some sublime returning to force his opponent on the back foot and inch ever closer to a famous triumph.
Another twist entailed when Ruud demonstrated his own fighting spirit from 3-5 down to lead 6-5 and throw the pressure straight over to the other side of the net.
Two hours and two minutes later, the 29-year-old Australian secured the biggest title of his tennis career - closing it out 6-3 7-6(4) in what was a deserved victory under the lights.
“It was an incredible week here in Los Cabos,” said Thompson post-game. “I spent some serious hours on the court this week…and the crowd was amazing.”
“My favourite place now (Los Cabos), without a doubt.”
From 0-6 1-4 down against Alex Michelsen in the quarter-finals and a hard-fought win against No.1 seed Alexander Zverev, it caps off a remarkable week for Thompson to build his confidence and cement the belief that he truly belongs at the top with the world’s best.
The victory sees Thompson climb to a career-high ranking of No.32 and firmly position himself to enter future Grand Slams as a seeded player.
To make the day even more extrodinary, Thompson had to play his Doubles Semi Final with Max Purcell def Ruud/Blumberg 7-6(1), 6-3 and then the pair defeated Escobar / Nedovyesov 7-5, 7-6(2) to win their third ATP 250 Doubles title.