Rafael Nadal suffered defeat to Australia's Jordan Thompson at Brisbane International quarter-finals after failing to take three match points; 37-year-old was sidelined for year with hip injury and underwent surgery in June; He had medical timeout in third set and finished in discomfort
Friday 5 January 2024 18:07, UK
Rafael Nadal suffered a 7-5 6-7(6) 3-6 defeat to Australia's Jordan Thompson at the quarter-final stage of the Brisbane International, having failed to take three match points.
Nadal, 37, had been kept out of the sport for a year as he recovered from a hip injury but after comprehensive wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler earlier this week, he could not deliver again against Thompson on Friday in a much tighter contest.
The Spaniard underwent a medical timeout during the third set and visibly struggled as the contest reached its conclusion.
Thompson will now face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals on Saturday, with the latter having knocked out Andy Murray earlier in the tournament.
"You guys got me through it. That was something special," Thompson said after the match.
"To beat Rafa in Brisbane at home, I couldn't be happier. It's my first semi-final on a hard court as well.
Nadal failed to convert a match point in the 10th game of the second set and two more in the tiebreaker before world No 55 Thompson rallied to win in three sets.
It was an encouraging comeback for Nadal after he opened the tournament with two straight-set wins but was pushed for 3 hours and 25 minutes in what was his third match in four nights.
His energy level visibly waned at the start of the third set. After Thompson broke in the fourth game and held for a 4-1 lead, Nadal was assessed by the trainer on the courtside chair, apparently for his upper left leg, before losing the match.
The other semi-final on Saturday will see top seed Holger Rune take on Roman Safiullin, with the match scheduled for 5am UK time on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena.
Thompson faces Dimitrov from 10.30am, with the women's semi-finals in Brisbane also taking place on Saturday.
Elena Rybakina plays Linda Noskova at 3am, with a clash between Grand Slam champions at 8.30am when Aryna Sabalenka goes up against Victoria Azarenka. All matches are on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena.
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