It's been a successful day for Australians at Wimbledon with Nick Kyrgios one of four through to the next round with Jordan Thompson's marathon victory a standout despite complaints about the pace of the court.
Thompson, James Duckworth, Ajla Tomljanovic and Kyrgios all progressed at the All England Club on day three, leaving the latter gushing about Australian tennis.
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"We've got so much depth, I feel when I retire, I'm leaving tennis in good hands," Kyrgios told media after his curfew-interrupted 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7 victory over Ugo Humbert.
"Definitely [a special afternoon]. Led by Ash Barty, I strongly believe we've got such good depth in Australian tennis right now.
"Ducks [Duckworth], Thommo [Thompson] – that's Thommo's first match he's won at Wimbledon. It's incredible to see such success. Marc Polmans is winning rounds. It's sick.
"And Bolty [Alex Bolt], unbelievable performance. Yeah, Aussie tennis is in good hands at the moment, I think."
Thompson was fuming about the slow pace of the courts and "fluffier" tennis balls at the All England Club after his incredible 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 2-6, 2-6, 6-2 win over Norwegian 12th seed Casper Ruud, but was grateful to be through to the next round for the first time.
"Honestly, I was getting very upset at the pace of the court," the 27-year-old said.
"We're playing on grass courts that are ridiculously slow this year.
"I don't know what's changed. I feel it's getting slower and slower here every year," he said.
"A five-set match at Wimbledon when three of the sets are 6-2 – a match like that shouldn't be over four hours. That just shows you how slow the courts are and how long rallies are. It should be 30 to 40 minutes a set."
Wimbledon organisers staunchly defended the condition of the courts as players have slipped often so far in the tournament due to wet weather. Organisers argue that they are not different to previous years. However Thompson refuted that claim.
"I like watching tennis. Go back and YouTube other matches in the past. I don't think you'll see the same pace of courts that you do now," Thompson said.
Kyrgios was also heard being upset at the state of the court speed, having fallen awkwardly in his match against Humbert.
"Guys, for you watching at home, it should be fast in here. It should be fast, That's grasscourt tennis," Kyrgios said during his match against Humbert.
"Try watering it. Make it a grass court again, thanks."
Other than his complaints about the court, Thompson was outstanding against Ruud in what was a career-best win for Thompson that he wouldn't soon forget.
"[Ruud is] a great player but he hasn't had a lot of grass court matches," Thompson said.
"I re-set mentally and I was very proud of myself."
Duckworth defeated Moldova's Radu Albot, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1, breaking the Moldovan six times in the impressive display. Duckworth next plays American Sam Querrey in the second round.
In other men's results, Aussie qualifier Chris O'Connell was beaten by 13th seed Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 and Alexei Popyrin went down to Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
In the women's draw, Tomljanovic beat Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-2, 7-6 (5), while fellow Aussies Astra Sharma and Ellen Perez lost their first-round encounters. Kristyna Pliskova defeated Sharma 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and Frenchwoman Clara Burel was too good for Perez, winning 6-2, 6-2.
Tomljanovic has a tough opponent in the second round, when she faces France's Alize Cornet.
Kyrgios was back on the scene at Wimbledon, offering his inimitable brand of showmanship and shot-making, with tennis by turns exhilarating and exasperating.
Even if he hadn't played on tour at all since February, even if he came in with a grand total of 15 matches of competition over the past 18 months, Kyrgios showed he still can deliver the goods when he puts his mind to it.
Just a handful of days after finishing the lengthy trek from the comforts of home in Canberra, Australia, to the grass courts of the All England Club — leaving the carefully calibrated practice and prep to others — Kyrgios made quite a return, edging No. 21 seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7 on Wednesday in a match suspended at 3-all in the last set a night earlier because of an 11 pm local curfew.
"Not bad for a part-time player," a smiling Kyrgios told the crowd at No.1 Court, letting them know his plans for the rest of the day included playing video games with his girlfriend at the tournament's "bubble" hotel.
His was one of more than two dozen first-round contests that wound up finishing on Day 3 after rain Monday and Tuesday scrambled the schedule and contributed to the slickness of the courts that left some players sliding and stumbling.
"Look, a lot of people were telling me: 'There's no chance. There's no point in you going with that short preparation.' I was hearing a load of things. (Someone was) telling me, 'There's no chance you can come off the couch and compete at this level,'" said the 26-year-old Kyrgios, whose 2014 debut at Wimbledon included a win against Rafael Nadal on the way to the quarterfinals, a round he hasn't reached since at the tournament.
"I'm like, 'Dude, I know my game.' I know how to play on grass. I'm not scared of anyone in the draw. I know if I believe and I'm feeling good mentally, like, I know what I'm capable of," continued Kyrgios, who's been ranked as high as No. 13 but is No. 60 now after all of that inactivity. "I've been playing this sport since I was 7 years old. … I'm going to serve big and play big and just compete."
Tongue firmly in cheek, he's likened this trip abroad to a vacation, and as he spoke to the media via video conference, Kyrgios leaned back, his head tilted to rest against his hands — a pose fit for a beach chair.
Against Humbert, whom he also beat in five sets at Melbourne Park this year, Kyrgios did more than just "serve big and play big."
Sure, there were the 23 aces. And the flashy forehands he flicked with no notice to end points. And, yes, naturally, the ill-advised trick shots, like the no-good-reason-for-it, between-the-legs floater on set point for Humbert — on set point! — that contributed to giving away the third.
Then again, maybe that's part of the charm with Kyrgios: You never know what you're going to get, so better tune in to find out.
Actually, he showed impressive patience during lengthy exchanges at the baseline in the late going, willing to wait out a point until his foe would err. Indeed, Kyrgios won 9 of 14 points that lasted at least nine strokes. Plus, he was the one who got the service break in the penultimate game to seize control.
"When he's playing good," Humbert said, "he's one of the best."
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