Wimbledon Briefing - Australian and New Zealand Results: Jordan Thompson breaks into second week for first time

Jordan Thompson was the Australian standout today, advancing to the fourth round of Wimbledon and becoming the first Oceanic representative to reach this stage of the tournament. Day Five also saw the elimination of Rinky Hijikata, who spent barely a minute on court against Ben Shelton.

Thompson once again relied heavily on his serve for much of his match against Italian Luciano Darderi, seizing his opportunity to reach the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time in his career, and only the third time in a Grand Slam across 40 career appearances.

The world No. 44 has consistently appeared in Grand Slam tournaments over the past decade but without significant deep runs. This time at Wimbledon, he capitalized on an open draw—full of surprises since the first round—and defeated Italian world No. 59 Luciano Darderi 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, guaranteeing his first appearance in the second week of Wimbledon.

The 31-year-old hit a total of 19 aces and won 76% of his first-serve points throughout the match. He was also nearly impeccable in high-pressure moments, saving 7 of 8 break points against him, and converting 3 of 10 opportunities. Thompson now faces a bigger challenge against world No. 5 Taylor Fritz, as he looks to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.

Earlier, Rinky Hijikata stepped onto the court hoping for a miracle against Ben Shelton, but he spent barely 70 seconds on court. The world No. 87 had played his second-round match against world No. 10 Shelton on Thursday, but it was suspended with Shelton leading the third set 5-4 and preparing to serve for the win. Hijikata had saved three match points on his serve just before the suspension.

Without much time for the players to find their rhythm, they entered the court with Shelton serving in the third set. The American finished the victory with four strong serves, and Hijikata couldn't even win a point. Shelton secured his passage to the third round with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory after just 70 seconds on court this Friday.

A couple of Australians are still in contention, looking to reach the second week of the tournament. This Saturday, 11th seed Alex de Minaur will return to the court to face Danish qualifier August Holmgren, who has been a surprise. De Minaur has already defeated Roberto Carballés Baena and Arthur Cazaux on his path, both without major issues.

On the women's side, the only Australian still in competition is 16th seed Daria Kasatkina, who has consecutive wins against Emiliana Arango (7-5, 6-3) and Irina-Camelia Begu (6-2, 4-6, 6-1). 'Dasha' has made three consecutive appearances in the Wimbledon third round and will look to reach the second week of the tournament for the first time since 2018—the year she reached the quarterfinals. Kasatkina will face 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, against whom she has an 0-1 head-to-head record, with their only encounter being in the Indian Wells third round in March of this year.

• [10] Ben Shelton (USA) def. Rinky Hijikata (AUS): 6-2, 7-5, 6-4

• Jordan Thompson (AUS) def. Luciano Darderi (ITA): 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3