Sydney's Jordan Thompson has completed the biggest win of his career with an upset victory over Spaniard David Ferrer at the Brisbane International.
Ferrer, the world No.21 and eighth seed, was far too good for Bernard Tomic in the first round but was taken down by another Australian in thrilling scenes on Pat Rafter Arena with Thompson prevailing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
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It took two hours and 28 minutes and five match points to get over the line, Thompson holding his nerve to finally salute after a marathon rally to seal the deal:Â he had a 4-1 lead, blew match points in the 10th and 12 games, before closing it out.
The results ensures Thompson will move into his first ATP quarter-final, where he meets Japan's third seed and world No.5 Kei Nishikori.Â
"Pretty tired; I'm still catching my breath," an exhausted Thompson told Channel Seven after the match. "I was pretty excited. I haven't really played at this level too much. I wasn't too nervous."
The 22-year-old New South Welshman turned pro in 2013 and has worked hard on the Challenger Tour to improve his ranking. He said he wanted to "test his game" at the next level and found a ready opponent in Ferrer, who typically made him work for every point.
![Massive win: Jordan Thompson celebrates victory over David Ferrer.](/web/20170105084043im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/m/1/y/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtm1bw.png/1483572600926.jpg)
'Process' might be one of the iconic words of the modern sporting age but it's true enough in Thompson's case. He has patiently worked away on the lesser tours to put himself in the right place to begin the same process on the top tier. He was a Brisbane wildcard but only one ranking spot away from the main draw.
"I think it's a process thing. Normal tennis players start out futures and they go to challengers and then they try to get to ATPs. I think I have done it step by step. I guess getting the ranking up is the most important thing," he said.
Things will only escalate now for Thompson, who meets the brilliant Nishikori, a grand slam finalist and a superstar in his homeland. Nishikori dropped a set to American Jared Donaldson before advancing 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 earlier on Wednesday.
Later on Pat Rafter Arena, Swiss world number four Stan Wawrinka was safely through with a 7-6 6-4 victory over Victor Troiki to set up a quarter final against Brit Kyle Edmund.
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