"It was strange": Jordan Thompson wins Wimbledon third-round, but left opponent frustrated with controversial call

Australia’s Jordan Thompson secured one of the biggest wins of his career on Friday as he secured his spot in the fourth round at Wimbledon after beating Italy’s Luciano Darderi with a score of 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It was the first time in nine attempts that Thompson managed to cement a spot in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

During the contest, there was a controversial moment when Thompson’s cap slipped as he landed on his follow-through in his second serve. However, he managed to hold it with his other hand before it fell on the ground and continued playing, eventually winning the point. That prompted Darderi to ask the chair umpire, Lahyani, to award the point to him, but Lahyani disagreed. That left Darderi unhappy, and he expressed his feelings during a media interview after the match.

“It didn’t seem normal to me to play a point with a hat in your hand. It was strange,” said Darderi. “But it was just one point. It didn’t change the match. My hat's fallen off before and most of the calls have honestly gone against me and that one, it puts him off. I guess if you had to stop the point, I would have happily replayed it, but, I guess it, it doesn't count unless it, hits the deck, so play on. Pretty wild match. He was quite vocal for, most of the match. I got vocal there for a set, but, it's probably better off, letting him do the talking."

On the other hand, Thompson was ecstatic after achieving his best run while playing at Wimbledon. "If someone told me that I was gonna be in the fourth round with the preparation I've had, I'd say show me the dotted line,” he said while talking to the media. "I'd be quick to grab the pen. I think grass is my best surface and it hasn't really shown at Wimbledon so to finally, you know, live up to somewhat expectations is, extremely pleasing."