Jordan Thompson has achieved his inaugural ATP Tour championship by defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud in an unexpected victory, earning the trophy in Los Cabos, Mexico.
After 11 years of being on tour, the 29-year-old defeated 12th-ranked Rudd in two sets with scores of 6-3 and 7-6 (7-4).
Thompson, who was ranked at a career-high of No. 40 in the world, participated in the event and emerged as the winner, potentially elevating his ranking to No. 32.
The resident of Sydney competed in his third professional final after a courageous win in three sets against the number one seed and sixth-ranked player in the world, Alexander Zverev. The semi-final match lasted three hours and 42 minutes.
In the Mexico tournament, he played a total of five matches and spent over 12 hours on the court. In the quarter-finals, he made an impressive comeback after being down 0-6 0-3 and saved three match points to defeat American player Alex Michelson with a final score of 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-5.
Thompson took control early on in the final match against Ruud by utilizing a variety of shots, causing his opponent to play defensively.
He excelled at the net, utilizing his skillful touch to secure 18 out of 22 points. However, the second-ranked Australian continued to face challenges in the second set.
He was winning 5-3 but struggled while serving for the match at 5-4, allowing former world No 2 Ruud to tie the score at 5-5.
Despite the distractions of a rowdy audience rooting for Ruud, Thompson managed to regain his focus and force a third set. He ultimately secured the victory in the tiebreak with a powerful forehand shot.
Thompson reflected on the many hours spent on the court this week, acknowledging that in the quarter-final, he could have potentially lost without winning a single set. However, he ultimately emerged victorious and considers it a miraculous feat.
“It has been quite a journey. As I approach 30 years old, I am lifting a trophy, something I never thought I would achieve.”
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He declared Los Cabos as his current favorite place without any hesitation.
Thompson’s last appearances in tour-level finals were in the Netherlands in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, in 2019 and 2023.
He had a successful start to the year, defeating Rafael Nadal to advance to the semi-finals in Brisbane and making it to the quarter-finals in Dallas and Delray Beach before his performance in Los Cabos.
Ruud, a 25-year-old, defeated defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece in their semi-final match. He now has his 11th tour title in sight and is aiming for a return to the top 10 ranking.
Thompson and Ruud faced off once more in the doubles semi-finals at Los Cabos, this time with Thompson joined by his Australian compatriot Max Purcell and Ruud playing alongside William Blumberg.
Thompson now has the chance to be the first player since Nick Kyrgios (2022 Washington) to win both the singles and doubles titles at an ATP Tour event.
