Australia’s Jordan Thompson must overcome the not insignificant hurdle of world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz if he wants to continue his best-ever run at the ATP’s Cincinnati Open.
Having earned his spot in the draw as a qualifier, Thompson on Monday toppled American John Isner in a pair of tiebreaks to clinch a 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-2) win in a match in which neither player broke serve and Isner crushed 20 aces.
The one hour, 58 minute win signals the first time Thompson has progressed to the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
His reward is a round-of-32 showdown with Alcaraz, the first time the two players have met in competition, as the 20-year-old Spaniard continues preparations to defend his 2022 US Open title.
The matchup offers Thompson another chance to test himself against the best in the game, after pushing multiple grand-slam champion Novak Djokovic before losing 6-3 7-6 (7-4)…