Jordan Thompson has made it into the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club Championships but could take no pleasure from defeating home hero Andy Murray for the second time on one of the Briton’s grass-court strongholds.
Thompson last beat Murray on the beautiful Queen’s courts back in 2017 when the Scot was Wimbledon champion and world number one.
But Wednesday’s triumph was a very different affair. Instead of beating a man at the top of his game, Thompson this time saw off a limping, ailing 37-year-old Murray, who called it off after just five matches, handing Thompson a walkover after just 20 minutes.
It was, in all likelihood, the last time Murray would play at the famous old London venue where he had won five titles.
But in the last eight, Thompson will be joined by fellow Sydneysider Rinky Hijikata, who earned a fine win over Italian Matteo Arnaldi to ensure there will be two Australians in the quarterfinals of the most prestigious grass-court tournament outside Wimbledon.
That seemed an unlikely outcome after Australian number one Alex de Minaur, last year’s beaten finalist, had been knocked out on Tuesday by another Italian, Lorenzo Musetti.
For Thompson, it was a bittersweet moment to see Murray call it a day while struggling from the after-effects of his victory over another Australian, Alexei Popyrin, the previous day.
“I could see he had a problem in the warm-up and then his first serve,” Thompson said.
“I thought, ‘hit the ball in and make him run’. I actually learned that from him. I learned a lot of things watching him play, so it’s an honour to share the court with him but it’s just sad that it ended like that.
“Never the way you want to go through, especially with a great champion like Andy.”
Thompson almost seemed embarrassed as he realised while playing that Murray was in such a bad way.
He prompted a few boos for one drop shot that Murray was never going to be able to chase but, even though winning easily at 4–1, seemed distracted enough by his opponents’ troubles to make a few elementary errors himself.
After a medical timeout for treatment on his lower back, Murray could not continue, with serious question marks now over whether he will be able to compete in what shapes as a potential swan song at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics.
Thompson will next play Taylor Fritz in the last eight after the American number defeated former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic in a big-hitting clash 7–6 (7–5), 6–4.
Hijikata’s 7–6 (7–0), 7–6 (9–7) win over Arnaldi was a delight for the 23-year-old.
Having got through to the last 16 only when US star Frances Tiafoe had to pull out in the previous round while suffering an injury following a slip on court, Hijikata got tight with victory approaching, squandering five match points.
He will play in-form American Sebastian Korda in the quarterfinal, who was beaten by de Minaur in the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week but earned a fine 6–4. 3–6, 7–5 victory over 2014 Queen’s winner Grigor Dimitrov.
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AAP