Thompson sole Australian of eight to advance to Wimbledon's second round on day one
Thompson's bleak outlook capped an unexpectedly dismal opening day at SW19, with 20th-seeded Alexei Popyrin headlining seven Australian departures, including Kim Birrell, Chris O'Connell, Olivia Gadecki, James Duckworth, qualifier Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic.
Duckworth was on upset alert when he went two-sets-to-one up on No.25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, only to go down 6-2, 3-6, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-4 to the Canadian star.
Popyrin's loss was the most shocking: 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to 465th-ranked British wildcard Arthur Fery – the son of wealthy businessman Loic Fery, a Wimbledon club member and owner of French Ligue 1 team FC Lorient – in a result that could trigger a rankings freefall for a player with more than 1300 points still to defend this year.
The 25-year-old was coming off a career-best fourth-round appearance at Roland-Garros, but blamed his decision to effectively step straight onto a grasscourt afterwards for his underwhelming display in London.
'I have to not see a tennis court or a tennis racquet for a little bit,' Popyrin said, slumping into his chair in one of Wimbledon's tiny interview rooms.
'After today's match, I felt numb. I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel happy – I just felt numb, and that's not a feeling I've ever had before. I think that just shows that I understand this result happened because I was under-prepared and demotivated going into Wimbledon, and that's something that can't happen again.'
Thompson has rallied from two sets down to win in the first round at each of the past three Wimbledon editions – and all on court nine – with Russian Pavel Kotov and American Brandon Nakashima his previous two victims.
He was his usual combative self against Kopriva, engaging in an ongoing spat with the chair umpire over a series of lets that he felt went uncalled, including one he humorously remarked should have been heard from Wimbledon's neighbouring district Southfields.
But with Lleyton Hewitt and his new doubles partner Pierre Hugues-Herbert watching, the world No.44 – who won 53 of 79 net points – was understandably relieved to escape for a rare highlight in an injury-plagued season.
It all started with a ruptured plantar fascia in Thompson's right foot that spoiled his Australian summer and cost him almost two months after leaving Melbourne Park.
The hits kept on coming for Thompson, who also suffered a groin tear, an oblique tear, a herniated disc and most recently, pain in the sacroiliac joint in his back that otherwise would have forced him onto the sidelines.
He has already revealed he will take a multi-month break after Wimbledon to try to get his body right, and has not ruled out skipping the rest of the season to receive a protected ranking, which requires a six-month absence.
'I can't put too much pressure on myself, even though I do a lot of the times, but this year's been a disaster,' Thompson said.
'I'm just lucky to be out on the court, even though I'm probably not enjoying it as much as I would like to. I mean, we're at Wimbledon, and it's sad for me to think I'm not enjoying it as much as I usually do. I'm just praying that I can actually step back out on the court.
'[But] I think the only time I really enjoyed it was when the last point was over, and I didn't have to put my body through any more.'
Birrell barely lost a race with the injured dual finalist Ons Jabeur to be the first player to exit the grasscourt major, losing 6-0-6-4 to Croatian 22nd seed and 2024 semi-finalist Donna Vekic, while O'Connell was no match for French veteran Adrian Mannarino in a 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 defeat.
Gadecki was originally supposed to play Greet Minnen, but the Belgian withdrew with a back injury, so she instead faced lucky loser Solana Sierra, who lost in final-round qualifying to Australia's Talia Gibson.
Sierra made the most of her second chance, securing a 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) win after fighting back from an 0-3 second-set deficit.
The big-striking Gibson will have mixed emotions about her Wimbledon debut on court 18 against four-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who is four years and a child removed from her 2021 Australian Open title.
The 21-year-old West Australian went toe-to-toe from the baseline with the Japanese superstar and hit some breathtaking winners to help her go up a break early in the first set and twice serve for the second set – but the result was a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) defeat.
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More important will be the lessons Gibson learned while failing to win a single point across those two service games late in the second set, when she sent seven shots beyond the baseline and double-faulted on the other.
She matched Osaka with 18 winners apiece, but committed 41 unforced errors to Osaka's 23.
Tomljanovic was the last Aussie to bow out on Monday, fading to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss to fellow veteran and Eastbourne semi-finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
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The Advertiser
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'Really cool': Herbert gives Australia nine Open lives
Lucas Herbert has successfully qualified for the 153rd British Open, giving Australia a nine-strong contingent at Royal Portrush. Herbert will play just his second major championship in two years after topping final qualifying at West Lancashire with an eight-under-par two-round total to clinch medallist honours by one stroke from China's Sampson Zheng. Since joining compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman on LIV Golf's Ripper GC team last year, the 2024 PGA Championship, where he tied for 43rd, has been Herbert's lone major appearance. But the reigning NSW Open champ has been the team's most consistent performer this year and narrowly missed earning an Open exemption at the Australian Open and New Zealand Open as well as the International Series Macau earlier this season. "I'm super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in the Open," Herbert said. "For us Australians, it was the major we watched overnight growing up. It's really cool be playing in another one and joining my teammates, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, there. "I've made it hard on myself just missing out on qualifying before now, but I've finally got there. I had chances in Australia, Macau and New Zealand and I couldn't finish it off so it's definitely tested my patience. "I'm glad it's held out in the end." Herbert was the only Australian across four qualifying venues to earn a place at the Open from July 17-20. As well as Smith and the resurgent Leishman, the 29-year-old joins Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Australasian Tour order of merit winner Elvis Smylie, Curtis Luck and New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake at the season's final major. Sydney's Kevin Yuan missed out on the playoff at West Lancashire by a single shot after making birdie at his final hole. After making the halfway cut on his US major debut at the PGA Championship in May at Quail Hollow, Smylie says he's also fired up for Portrush. The 23-year-old has been poring over footage of the course and studying Irishman Shane Lowry's famous 2019 victory, when Smith was the only Australian to make the weekend. "I've been watching the official film that they do every year. Just watching it gives me goosebumps," Smylie said on a Zoom call ahead of next week's Scottish Open. "I'm just really excited to embrace the Northern Irish crowd with Rory and Shane Lowry and a handful of other top players. "It will be really cool." Former world No.1 Lee Westwood was another notable qualifier. The 52-year-old Englishman will contest his first major since 2022 after topping the scoring with seven under at Dundonald Links in Scotland. Westwood has never won a major but owns 19 top-10s, including a runner-up finish in 2010 and a T4 placement the last time the Open was played at Royal Portrush in 2019. Now also with LIV Golf, Westwood has not been eligible for any major since he tied for 34th behind the triumphant Smith at St Andrews three years ago. "The Open Championship is the greatest tournament in the golfing calendar," Westwood said. "The first time I played in The Open was in 1995 when I qualified at Leven and I thought it would be great to come back here and try to qualify for another one at Royal Portrush." Lucas Herbert has successfully qualified for the 153rd British Open, giving Australia a nine-strong contingent at Royal Portrush. Herbert will play just his second major championship in two years after topping final qualifying at West Lancashire with an eight-under-par two-round total to clinch medallist honours by one stroke from China's Sampson Zheng. Since joining compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman on LIV Golf's Ripper GC team last year, the 2024 PGA Championship, where he tied for 43rd, has been Herbert's lone major appearance. But the reigning NSW Open champ has been the team's most consistent performer this year and narrowly missed earning an Open exemption at the Australian Open and New Zealand Open as well as the International Series Macau earlier this season. "I'm super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in the Open," Herbert said. "For us Australians, it was the major we watched overnight growing up. It's really cool be playing in another one and joining my teammates, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, there. "I've made it hard on myself just missing out on qualifying before now, but I've finally got there. I had chances in Australia, Macau and New Zealand and I couldn't finish it off so it's definitely tested my patience. "I'm glad it's held out in the end." Herbert was the only Australian across four qualifying venues to earn a place at the Open from July 17-20. As well as Smith and the resurgent Leishman, the 29-year-old joins Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Australasian Tour order of merit winner Elvis Smylie, Curtis Luck and New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake at the season's final major. Sydney's Kevin Yuan missed out on the playoff at West Lancashire by a single shot after making birdie at his final hole. After making the halfway cut on his US major debut at the PGA Championship in May at Quail Hollow, Smylie says he's also fired up for Portrush. The 23-year-old has been poring over footage of the course and studying Irishman Shane Lowry's famous 2019 victory, when Smith was the only Australian to make the weekend. "I've been watching the official film that they do every year. Just watching it gives me goosebumps," Smylie said on a Zoom call ahead of next week's Scottish Open. "I'm just really excited to embrace the Northern Irish crowd with Rory and Shane Lowry and a handful of other top players. "It will be really cool." Former world No.1 Lee Westwood was another notable qualifier. The 52-year-old Englishman will contest his first major since 2022 after topping the scoring with seven under at Dundonald Links in Scotland. Westwood has never won a major but owns 19 top-10s, including a runner-up finish in 2010 and a T4 placement the last time the Open was played at Royal Portrush in 2019. Now also with LIV Golf, Westwood has not been eligible for any major since he tied for 34th behind the triumphant Smith at St Andrews three years ago. "The Open Championship is the greatest tournament in the golfing calendar," Westwood said. "The first time I played in The Open was in 1995 when I qualified at Leven and I thought it would be great to come back here and try to qualify for another one at Royal Portrush." Lucas Herbert has successfully qualified for the 153rd British Open, giving Australia a nine-strong contingent at Royal Portrush. Herbert will play just his second major championship in two years after topping final qualifying at West Lancashire with an eight-under-par two-round total to clinch medallist honours by one stroke from China's Sampson Zheng. Since joining compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman on LIV Golf's Ripper GC team last year, the 2024 PGA Championship, where he tied for 43rd, has been Herbert's lone major appearance. But the reigning NSW Open champ has been the team's most consistent performer this year and narrowly missed earning an Open exemption at the Australian Open and New Zealand Open as well as the International Series Macau earlier this season. "I'm super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in the Open," Herbert said. "For us Australians, it was the major we watched overnight growing up. It's really cool be playing in another one and joining my teammates, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, there. "I've made it hard on myself just missing out on qualifying before now, but I've finally got there. I had chances in Australia, Macau and New Zealand and I couldn't finish it off so it's definitely tested my patience. "I'm glad it's held out in the end." Herbert was the only Australian across four qualifying venues to earn a place at the Open from July 17-20. As well as Smith and the resurgent Leishman, the 29-year-old joins Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Australasian Tour order of merit winner Elvis Smylie, Curtis Luck and New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake at the season's final major. Sydney's Kevin Yuan missed out on the playoff at West Lancashire by a single shot after making birdie at his final hole. After making the halfway cut on his US major debut at the PGA Championship in May at Quail Hollow, Smylie says he's also fired up for Portrush. The 23-year-old has been poring over footage of the course and studying Irishman Shane Lowry's famous 2019 victory, when Smith was the only Australian to make the weekend. "I've been watching the official film that they do every year. Just watching it gives me goosebumps," Smylie said on a Zoom call ahead of next week's Scottish Open. "I'm just really excited to embrace the Northern Irish crowd with Rory and Shane Lowry and a handful of other top players. "It will be really cool." Former world No.1 Lee Westwood was another notable qualifier. The 52-year-old Englishman will contest his first major since 2022 after topping the scoring with seven under at Dundonald Links in Scotland. Westwood has never won a major but owns 19 top-10s, including a runner-up finish in 2010 and a T4 placement the last time the Open was played at Royal Portrush in 2019. Now also with LIV Golf, Westwood has not been eligible for any major since he tied for 34th behind the triumphant Smith at St Andrews three years ago. "The Open Championship is the greatest tournament in the golfing calendar," Westwood said. "The first time I played in The Open was in 1995 when I qualified at Leven and I thought it would be great to come back here and try to qualify for another one at Royal Portrush." Lucas Herbert has successfully qualified for the 153rd British Open, giving Australia a nine-strong contingent at Royal Portrush. Herbert will play just his second major championship in two years after topping final qualifying at West Lancashire with an eight-under-par two-round total to clinch medallist honours by one stroke from China's Sampson Zheng. Since joining compatriots Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman on LIV Golf's Ripper GC team last year, the 2024 PGA Championship, where he tied for 43rd, has been Herbert's lone major appearance. But the reigning NSW Open champ has been the team's most consistent performer this year and narrowly missed earning an Open exemption at the Australian Open and New Zealand Open as well as the International Series Macau earlier this season. "I'm super excited to be going to Portrush. I love playing in the Open," Herbert said. "For us Australians, it was the major we watched overnight growing up. It's really cool be playing in another one and joining my teammates, Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, there. "I've made it hard on myself just missing out on qualifying before now, but I've finally got there. I had chances in Australia, Macau and New Zealand and I couldn't finish it off so it's definitely tested my patience. "I'm glad it's held out in the end." Herbert was the only Australian across four qualifying venues to earn a place at the Open from July 17-20. As well as Smith and the resurgent Leishman, the 29-year-old joins Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Australasian Tour order of merit winner Elvis Smylie, Curtis Luck and New Zealand Open champion Ryan Peake at the season's final major. Sydney's Kevin Yuan missed out on the playoff at West Lancashire by a single shot after making birdie at his final hole. After making the halfway cut on his US major debut at the PGA Championship in May at Quail Hollow, Smylie says he's also fired up for Portrush. The 23-year-old has been poring over footage of the course and studying Irishman Shane Lowry's famous 2019 victory, when Smith was the only Australian to make the weekend. "I've been watching the official film that they do every year. Just watching it gives me goosebumps," Smylie said on a Zoom call ahead of next week's Scottish Open. "I'm just really excited to embrace the Northern Irish crowd with Rory and Shane Lowry and a handful of other top players. "It will be really cool." Former world No.1 Lee Westwood was another notable qualifier. The 52-year-old Englishman will contest his first major since 2022 after topping the scoring with seven under at Dundonald Links in Scotland. Westwood has never won a major but owns 19 top-10s, including a runner-up finish in 2010 and a T4 placement the last time the Open was played at Royal Portrush in 2019. Now also with LIV Golf, Westwood has not been eligible for any major since he tied for 34th behind the triumphant Smith at St Andrews three years ago. "The Open Championship is the greatest tournament in the golfing calendar," Westwood said. "The first time I played in The Open was in 1995 when I qualified at Leven and I thought it would be great to come back here and try to qualify for another one at Royal Portrush."
Courier-Mail
an hour ago
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Josh Giddey discusses NBA future and Chicago Bulls deal rumours
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Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
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Two days of carnage: Big names fall in record numbers at Wimbledon
It's been two days of carnage on the famous grass courts at Wimbledon, as the stars crashed out of the first round in record numbers at the All England club. Eight top-10 seeds exited in the first round, which was the highest at a grand slam in the professional era, while 23 seeds — 13 men, 10 women — have failed to reach the second round, equalling the highest total at any grand slam tournament since they began assigning 32 seeds in each singles bracket in 2001. As the shocks kept coming, here's who stumbled and fell in a first round that delivered plenty of surprising results – and opened up the draw significantly for those remaining in the prestigious grasscourt event in London. For the latest on the Australian contingent, click here. Coco Gauff (No.2) Gauff was the day's most surprising casualty, overpowered by fired-up Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. The American was chasing a French Open-Wimbledon double after her Paris triumph but looked out of sorts on Court One's slick surface, slipping several times early in the match. She had nine double faults and made 29 unforced errors, shaking her head in disbelief. 'I think it was a great match today, I was really on fire,' said the world No. 42 Yastremska, whose best previous grand slam performance was reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 Australian Open.
