Aussie in stunning Wimbledon moment as joy tinged with sadness for de Minaur's fiancee

Yahoo

a day ago

Jordan Thompson continued his improbable run at Wimbledon on Wednesday night, battling back to win another five-set epic while defying injury. But it was heartbreak for adopted Aussie Katie Boulter, who lost to lucky loser Solana Sierra in another disappointing grand slam result.
Thompson admitted before Wimbledon he'd be lucky to make it onto court, and would probably have to take the rest of the year off to get his body right. But the Aussie has surged into the third round after two five-setters, beating Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7 (2-7) 4-6 6-2 6-4 in just shy of four hours on Wednesday.
Playing with pain-killers and sporting a large brace on his back in between matches, Thompson has somehow managed to win twice to continue his charge. After Bonzi hit his final return into the net, Thompson let out a primal scream and pointed to his heart.
After his first-round win over Vit Kopriva - when he came from two sets down - Thompson looked shattered and wondered if he would even be able to start Wednesday's match. But he made it into court 15 to face the man who had shocked last year's semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round.
Thompson is a better player than the 29-year-old Frenchman who has never been inside the top 40, and he showed that from the start. But Bonzi turned the tide and won the second and third sets, making Thompson change his gameplan.
The fifth set could have gone either way as both men battled fatigue, but Thompson got the match-winning break of serve at 6-5. Fans were blown away by his courage and determination to keep fighting.
He's done it again 🤯⁰⁰Jordan Thompson defeats Benjamin Bonzi 7-5 6-7(2) 4-6 6-2 6-4 for his second five-set victory in a row.⁰⁰#Wimbledon #GoAussies pic.twitter.com/jB22pgKNaK
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) July 2, 2025
5-Set warrior
— GrassperRuud (@GrassperRuud) July 2, 2025
Amazing effort from Jordan Thompson to reach the 3RD at Wimbledon for only the second time. He won his second consecutive 5 setter, this time from 2 sets to 1 down beating Benjamin Bonzi 64 in the 5th
— Craig Gabriel (@crosscourt1) July 2, 2025
Jordan Thompson finishes his match against Bonzi with 91 points played at the net.Thompson (183 cm tall) and Mochizuki are the only players so far at the tournament to approach the net more than 70 times in a match. https://t.co/9arA7JeBhO
— Oleg S. (@AnnaK_4ever) July 2, 2025
'I'm just praying I can get back on the court,' he said before the match. 'I'll do everything I can; live in an ice bath or hyperbaric chamber. I'll hardly practice. I'm taking painkillers, anti-inflammatories, but sometimes they can't really help. I'm just lucky to be on court even though it is sad that it's Wimbledon and I am not enjoying it as much as I usually do.
'I love playing tennis, competing, running around. I love getting the balls I probably shouldn't and I can't do that at the moment. It's extremely frustrating to watch balls go past me that I'm not even close to because I can't move. Practising, warming up, is just putting my body through hell."
Thompson's win came with a tinge of sadness for the Aussie contingent, with Alex de Minaur's fiancee Boulter crashing out in the second round. The British star, who has become an adopted Aussie due to her fiance, hit 14 double faults and was unable to back-up her stunning victory over ninth-seed Paula Badosa in the first round.
'Of course it hurts,' Boulter said after the 6-7 (7) 6-2 6-1 loss World No.101 Sierra. 'It's a really tough pill to swallow. It always is here. Unfortunately it's just the way that it is. Not my best day. I think I have to sometimes just credit the opponent here. I think I've got a lot of things to go back and work on.'
Sierra had only made the main draw as a 'lucky loser' from qualifying after a late injury withdrawal. 'I really felt like she played a great match," Boulter added. "I felt like she committed to the ball. It was coming through very fast. I couldn't quite control it. Credit to her, she swung and she won the match. I'm happy for her. But I have to go back to the drawing board.'
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With a worried de Minaur looking on from the stands, Boulter's serve deserted her. The World No.43 won just one point on her second serve after the first set, and appeared to come unstuck when the court was bathed in shadows late in the match.