- He got a great victory over his favorite opponent
- He made it to the final 32 in Flushing Meadows
- He criticized the calendar that impacted his game
Jordan Thompson has criticised officials for a scheduling conflict that marred the biggest US Open upset yet as he advances to the final 32 in New York for the second time.
Thompson eliminated Polish seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-5 on a big day for the Australians, with Alex de Minaur and Chris O’Connell joining Thompson and Alexei Popyrin in the third round with emphatic wins.
But Thompson was left furious by a decision that left his coach having to watch another charge as the Australian claimed the biggest Grand Slam win of his career.
Australian Jordan Thompson defeated Polish seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz and advanced to the third round of the US Open
But Thompson was so dirty that his coach, former Australian number one Marinko Matosevic, had to choose between watching him and fellow Sydney native Chris O’Connell, whom he also mentors.
Thompson and O’Connell, who also advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Italian Mattia Bellucci, were scheduled to begin day four matches from 11 a.m.
As Matosevic cheered on O’Connell on Court 11, Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt sat in Thompson’s box on show court 17.
“We can thank the calendar makers for that,” he said of not having his coach supporting him.
‘I mean, we’ve only been working together for 20 months and we’re the only two (players) who share a coach.
“It’s happened a few times. They just don’t seem to care about anything. So it’s too good.”
‘You have to applaud the ATP for that, or whoever makes the calendar, but it has happened four or five times, in other places and in Grand Slams.
“They should be aware, but they just don’t seem to care.”
Thompson was furious with officials for scheduling him and fellow Australian Chris O’Connell at the same time, forcing Marinko Matosevic to choose which match to watch.
Thompson said the referees were well aware of the rare double training situation and Matosevic had requested that his two players not be on the court at the same time.
“He said it again, but he shouldn’t need to say it again,” Thompson said.
“But luckily I had Rusty (Hewitt) there and I had to celebrate at the end.”
Thompson’s reward for eliminating Hurkacz is the chance to equal his best run at a grand slam, achieved in the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows four years ago.
The 30-year-old will play world number 30 Matteo Arnaldi, a player ranked just two places above him.
“It’s an opportunity for both of us. We can’t deny it,” Thompson said.
‘When I said that, it seemed like I had a great performance today and I was playing good tennis.
‘He reached the semi-finals at the Masters (in Montreal) a couple of weeks ago, so it will be another tough battle.’
O’Connell scored a big win over Italy’s Mattia Bellucci to also advance to the third round.
O’Connell earned a show-court opportunity against world number one Jannik Sinner with his win over Bellucci.
O’Connell is guaranteed the biggest payday of his career with a cheque for at least US$215,000 (A$315,000) on the way.
Thanasi Kokkinakis suffered disappointment and retired.
Two days after eliminating two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kokkinakis suffered a disheartening 6-4 7-5 7-5 second-round loss to Portuguese point guard Nuno Borges.
