Spanish Rafael Nadal This Friday he lost to Australian Jordan Thompson with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament. tournament in Brisbane, where he suffered his first defeat since returning to the court this week, losing three match points.
The former number one lost after a tense match lasting three hours and 25 minutes, in which he started very focused but found himself against a solid opponent who gained strength and confidence as the fight progressed.
Both players started with comfortable wins on their serves, especially the Spaniard, who hit 11 straight first serves at the start.
Thompson made it clear from the start that he would fight back with aggressive tennis, which managed to overwhelm the Spaniard at some points.
With more confidence and aggression as the set progressed, the Australian didn’t miss the first break point of the match in the seventh game and took the lead on the scoreboard.
But, like so many times in his career, Nadal poured cold water on his opponent’s euphoria and responded by breaking Thompson’s serve in the next game to level the score again (4-4).
The Australian’s momentary breakdown on the first serve gave Nadal three more break points (and the first of the set) with the score 6-5 in his favor, and the Mallorcan took advantage of the second to win the first set 7-5 after a long game. fight 70 minutes.
LET’S GO 🇪🇸@Rafael Nadal is a few sets away from the semi-finals after a tight first set against Thompson 7-5 💪#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/HdN7iLW9NV
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 5, 2024
The second set started with plenty of alternatives and plenty of errors from both, especially Thompson, who relied on the aggressiveness of his winning shots to offset his unforced errors and save serve.
The Spaniard’s physical condition remained unknown following his lengthy absence from the circuit, but for now he appeared unaffected by the intensity of the match in Brisbane’s stifling humidity.
With the score 5-4 in favor, Nadal was given his first match point, but the Australian saved it in a pinch and eventually won the game.
The second set ended in a tie-break, in which the Spaniard appeared to dominate several times, but lost, while his opponent eased the pressure and improved his game to eventually win thanks to a brilliant attack.
THRILLER AT PAT RAFTER ARENA! @jordanthommmo2 saves three match points against Nadal and sends us to decide, 5-7 7-6(6) #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/6jWmomeW8F
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 5, 2024
Perhaps the long inactivity caused the Spaniard’s psychological resistance, which cracked in the tiebreak and the number of questions before the decisive set multiplied.
The fears were confirmed early in the third set when Thompson took advantage of Nadal’s hesitant serve game to break it and gain an advantage that would ultimately prove decisive in winning the set and the match.
In addition to the mental errors, the final phase of the match raised concerns about the physical condition of La Fiera, who had to be treated for hip discomfort late in the third set after losing serve to Thompson.
After treatment, Nadal became more confident in his serve, but was unable to trouble the local idol, who is reaching the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time.
LANDSCAPES IN BRISBANE 🤯
Jordan Thompson defeated Rafael Nadal in an epic three-set fight lasting 3 hours 25 minutes – 5-7 7-6(6) 6-3 👏🇦🇺#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/QepoNF7VnS
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 5, 2024
Thompson will meet the Bulgarian in the semi-finals Gregor Dimitrovsecond seed, who defeated local Rinki Hijikata 6-1 to 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes, with the other penultimate round match to be played by the Norwegian. Holger Runafirst seed and Russian Roman Safiullinexecutioners also include Australian James Duckworth (6-2 and 7-6) and Italian Matteo Arnaldi (7-6 and 6-2, respectively).
(according to information from EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
