Thompson has not been in the round of 32 at a slam since that same Wimbledon, but looks a good chance to be seeded at the Australian Open in January, which would greatly aid his chance of going deeper.
Hurkacz was projected to be Alex de Minaur’s fourth-round opponent, but that section is now wide open, particularly given the top-ranked Australian’s concession he had not fully recovered from the hip injury he sustained at Wimbledon last month.
Hubert Hurkacz had a tough day at the office against Australia’s Jordan Thompson.Credit: Getty Images
Thompson might instead now be de Minaur’s stumbling block as the latter tries to become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago to reach three consecutive major quarter-finals.
De Minaur meets Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in the second round later on Friday (AEST).
Hurkacz threatened to force his way back into the contest with break points in consecutive games late in the third set, but Thompson repeatedly delivered in the most important moments.
The pigeon-toed Pole’s game unravelled after a strong start. Hurkacz committed only four unforced errors through the first nine games – when he led 5-4 with a break – but was up to 21 by the time he fell 4-0 behind in the second set, after dropping the opener in a tiebreak.
Thompson’s stout defence, penchant for mixing up his shots and expert volleying played a significant part in building pressure on his opponent, but Hurkacz also made some inexplicable mistakes during that period.
Thanasi Kokkinakis is facing Portugal’s Nuno Borges for a third-round spot.Credit: Getty Images
There were times Thompson was stationed metres behind the baseline and barely hanging in points, only to chase down a drop shot or short volley to inflict further misery on Hurkacz, whose frustration bubbled over several times.
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Thompson raced through the second set, but Hurkacz was a tougher proposition through the third.
The Australian fought back from 15-40 while trailing 4-3 – starting with a wonderfully executed serve-volley – then staved off another two games later, which doubled as a set point, with an inside-out forehand winner that followed another good first serve.
Thompson made fewer than half his first serves, but won 82 per cent of those points and hit 13 aces.
Hurkacz’s missed opportunities came back to haunt him when his forehand landed wide off the net cord to fall into a 0-30 hole. He dumped a backhand into the net on the next point before poorly dragging a forehand wide to drop serve again and effectively hand Thompson the match.
Thompson beat Rafael Nadal to make the Brisbane semi-finals in January and Taylor Fritz to reach the same stage at Queen’s Club in June before advancing to the Atlanta final and Washington ATP 500 quarter-finals in the lead-up to the US Open.
Along, with de Minaur, the other Australians in singles action at Flushing Meadows on day four are Thanasi Kokkinakis, Max Purcell and wildcard Tristan Schoolkate.
Watch every match of the 2024 US Open ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport with select matches live on 9GO and streaming on 9Now.
