In the 14th and final iteration of the Atlanta Open, it is still setting records.
Jordan Thompson and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina played the longest match in tournament history on quarterfinal Friday, as Thompson prevailed 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 after three hours and three minutes. It surpassed the previous longest match with room to spare; the 2013 final won by John Isner over Kevin Anderson was a two-hour and 54-minute affair.
“I feel like I’ve played the longest match in tournament history,” Thompson joked. “It was brutally hot. You’re playing at 2:00 in the middle of the day–not much cloud cover. Yeah, it was pretty tough…. I usually don’t mind [these] conditions, but it’s just tough if you play a long match. If you come here, you’ve got expect it to be hot. I come here because I like the conditions.”
Atlanta also gives the 30-year-old Aussie a welcomed opportunity to mentally get past a rough defeat in the Wimbledon men’s doubles final. Just a couple of weeks ago, Thompson and compatriot Max Purcell had four championship points at the All-England Club only to be upended by Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 6-7(7), 7-6(8), 7-6(11-9).
“For me doubles is not the focus at all, but losing that match really hurt,” Thompson admitted. “A Grand Slam final; the Wimbledon final. I think it’s the best tournament we’ve got in tennis. To lose that with championship points–I didn’t think a doubles would hurt me that match, but it certainly did. But a week off, right back on the horse and back in the semis. Hopefully (I can) put that in the past. It’s not gonna be forgotten, but with time it will get easier.”
The world No. 41’s road through the Atlanta draw doesn’t get any easier. Up next for Thompson in Saturday’s semifinals is Jerry Shang, who owns a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series after rolling 6-2, 6-3 at this year’s Indian Wells Masters. Having qualified for the Atlanta main draw, Shang has already won five matches this week–including over top seed Ben Shelton on Thursday night.
“Tricky opponent,” Thompson assured. “Jerry is just a really, really good player. Left-hander; young fellow and he’s coming up. He feels like he’s got nothing to lose, and he’s playing that way.”
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nice one, Thommo