Brisbane International tennis: Thompson’s dream run ended by Dimitrov; Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face off in final
Just twenty hours after a gruelling win against Rafael Nadal, Australian Jordan Thompson had to back it up against the world number two in a brutal semi-final task.
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After spending all of his petrol tickets to outlast Rafael Nadal in a three and a half hour thriller Jordan Thompson was left running on empty by Saturday night.
Backing up from his brilliant quarter-final display against the Spanish superstar was always going to be a tough ask – but his semi-final opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, made it a near insurmountable task for the Aussie.
Number two seed Dimitrov punched his ticket to a third Brisbane International final with a 6-3 7-5 win over Thompson, who was tough but clearly tired having stepped off the same court only 20 hours earlier.
The brutish Bulgarian, who this week became the winningest player in the tournament’s history en-route to his fifth semi-final appearance in Brisbane, was infallible on-serve and ran a tiring Thompson ragged over 107 minutes.
The Aussie won just six points on the Dimitrov first serve – one of the biggest weapons on the ATP Tour.
But it was the Bulgarian’s brilliant one-hand backhand that dealt the killer blow.
At 5-5 and staring down 0-40 on-serve in the second set, Thompson pulled back two break points to keep himself in the contest.
That was until Dimitrov sent a sizzling backhand past the Aussie, securing just the second break of serve in the match before going on to serve it out.
Dimitrov fittingly finished the job with his 10th ace of the evening, off a serve that at one stage clocked in at 222km/h.
He will meet No.1 seed Holger Rune in Sunday’s decider.
“I love starting out here,” Dimitrov said after the match.
“The court feels like such a homey place. It’s been a tremendous couple of weeks for me here so far.
“It’s been a very humble moment for me … I’m just enjoying it and very happy to be back in a final.”
Dimitrov previously won the title in 2017.
Thompson was aiming to become just the third Aussie to reach the final in Brisbane after Lleyton Hewitt (2014) and Nick Kyrgios (2018), both of whom lifted the trophy.
It would have been his third ATP Tour final.
Instead the 29-year-old will look ahead to the Adelaide International, which begins on Monday.
He will face a qualifier in the opening round.
Dimitrov meanwhile remains in the hunt for a first title since his Cincinnati Masters triumph in 2017.
He lost to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Paris Masters last year.
Dimitrov and Rune have played each other twice, both in 2023.
Rune came from behind to win in four sets at Wimbledon in July, while Dimitrov won their only hard court encounter – a straight-sets victory in Beijing last October.
‘GREAT BATTLE’: SABALENKA, RYBAKINA RIVALRY TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER
One of the most enthralling head-to-head rivalries in women’s tennis will write another chapter on Sunday when Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina face off in the Brisbane International final.
The top two seeds looked a class above in Brisbane this week and comprehensively dispatched their semi-final opponents to set up another blockbuster decider.
World No.2 Sabalenka steamrolled fellow Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-2 6-4 on Saturday night only hours after world No.4 Rybakina punched her ticket to the final with a similarly dominant 6-3 6-2 win over Linda Noskova.
“I love matches against Elena, it’s always high quality matches (and) usually enjoyable for people to watch, so I hope it’s going to be a great battle tomorrow,” Sabalenka said.
Neither player dropped a set enroute to the final, which will serve as the perfect precursor to the Australian Open later this month where both players are expected to feature heavily into the second week.
Three-time Brisbane finalist Azarenka was ultimately no match for the power-hitting of Sabalenka, who looked in eerily similar form to that which took her to a maiden Grand Slam title almost 12 months ago.
The 25-year-old is now 15 games unbeaten in Australia and has dropped just one set in the process – against Rybakina in last year’s Australian Open final.
Sabalenka’s three-set defeat of Rybakina last January laid the foundations for a gripping rivalry that was renewed a further three times in 2023.
Rybakina got her revenge in the final of the prestigious Indian Wells, outlasting Sabalenka in straight sets, and also won their next meeting in Beijing.
But it was Sabalenka who came out on top in three sets at the WTA Finals last November, extending her head-to-head record over Rybakina to 5-2.
Five of their seven encounters have gone to a third set.
“I think we are both serving really well … both playing really super aggressive tennis, I think that’s why all the matches are pretty tight,” Sabalenka said.
“We both put each other under so much pressure. I think that’s why it makes our matches really, really great battles.”
The Belarusian is chasing her 14th tour title and 12th on a hard court, while Rybakina has her sights on a sixth trophy and second in Australia, following her 2020 Hobart International triumph.
While many will use Sunday’s final as a measuring stick for the Australian Open, Sabalenka said the result would have little bearing on what happens in Melbourne later this month.
“I would say that every tournament is a separate event.
“(It) doesn’t matter who wins that match, it’s not a guarantee that you’re going to win that match in the next tournament. Every tournament it’s a new story.
“It’s just a preparation before the big tournament.”
RUNE OVERCOMES EMOTIONS TO LOCK IN NINTH ATP TOUR FINAL
Holger Rune says Sunday’s Brisbane International final will be the perfect litmus test for his Australian Open credentials as the Danish sensation sets his eyes on a maiden Grand Slam title later this month.
Rune, 20, was again not quite at his brilliant best in Saturday’s 6-4 7-6 (0) semi-final win over Russian Roman Safiullin, but still found a way to grind out the victory and book a place in his ninth ATP Tour final.
“It’s exactly how I wanted it to be, to get the most amount of matches possible,” Rune said.
“One to go tomorrow. I’m going to try to make it in my favour again.
“It’s a great challenge tomorrow to try see where I’m at when it really matters.
“If I want to do what I want to do in Melbourne, I’m going to be under a much bigger amount of pressure.
“Tomorrow’s a great challenge to see how I handle everything.”
The young Dane has oft been criticised for letting his emotions get the better of him during matches and he threatened to run himself off the rails during the second set on Pat Rafter Arena.
Following a relatively easy opening set, helped along by some poor serving from Safiullin, Rune exploded with emotion when he was broken mid-way through the second set.
Rune’s box – which also included his mother, who often travels with him on tour – urged him to collect himself as Safiullin fought his way back into the match.
Having watched one of his idols, Rafael Nadal, falter from 3-0 up in a tiebreak the day before, the stage was set for Rune to prove himself from an identical position - and he was flawless.
The world No.8 romped home to clinch the tiebreak without dropping a point, suffocating Safiullin and sending a message to his Australian Open rivals: I am ready to win a Grand Slam.
“I was so frustrated after he broke me I actually lost complete focus,” admitted Rune after the match.
“Thanks to my team for keeping me on track … I managed to close it out in two sets, which is very good.
“I managed to stay mentally good today. It’s harder the longer you go through the week, you feel it more).”
Rune had hoped to meet Nadal in Sunday’s final, however the 22-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out by Aussie Jordan Thompson in an epic three and a half hour quarter-final that ended in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The Dane admitted he was disappointed not to get the chance to play Nadal for the very first time.
“Yeah, but this is tennis,” he said.
“I’m just focusing on the match that I have to play. Whether it’s that opponent or that opponent, that’s not really up to me. I (have) just got to stay focused on my things.”
RYBAKINA CRUISES PAST CZECH RIVAL TO SECURE BRISBANE FINAL SPOT
World No. 4 Elena Rybakina is through to the Brisbane International final after a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory over Czech teenager Linda Noskova on Saturday.
Rybakina, 24, had looked a class above her opposition this week in Brisbane and so the trend continued into the first semi-final, where the former Wimbledon champion made quick work of her world No. 40 rival in just over an hour.
She rattled off eight aces and 26 winners to reach her first final since Rome last year.
The 2023 Australian Open finalist stamped her credentials as one of the top contenders for the Melbourne Grand Slam later this month by swatting away Noskova, who had claimed some serious scalps en route to the semi-final.
“Thank you so much,” Rybakina told the crowd after her victory.
“It’s really amazing here, thank you so much again and come to support tomorrow.
“I will try to do my best tomorrow and hopefully it’s going to be a great battle.”
The towering No. 2 seed kept her flawless serving performance this year intact, going unbroken for a fourth-consecutive match.
She will enter the final having spent less than four hours on-court and conceding just 12 games so far in Brisbane.
Facing love-40 on her serve early in the second set, an unflappable Rybakina rattled off five straight points to end any chance Noskova had of fighting her way back into the contest.
“I’m trying to hide it of course, inside I can be nervous or frustrated … I’m just trying not to show it and focus on my game,” she said of her cool demeanour.
“Of course I’m calmer than maybe some other players.”
The win moved Rybakina into third on the WTA live rankings, leapfrogging American Coco Gauff who is defending her ASB Classic title this week.
Rybakina boasts five career titles. Three of those have come on hard courts, including her most recent tournament victory – at the prestigious Indian Wells last year.
After Sunday’s final she will head to Adelaide for the WTA 500 event, where she will feature as the top seed, before moving on to the Australian Open in Melbourne.
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