Author: Australian Associated Press

• Australian beats Italian Luciano Darderi 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-3

• Battling veteran now faces No 5 seed Taylor Fritz

Jordan Thompson’s adventures at Wimbledon have continued with the wounded Australian storming into the fourth round of his favourite event for the first time in his career.

Still troubled by a debilitating back injury that had him protesting after his two previous courageous five-set wins that even “snails move faster”, Thompson looked in much sharper nick as he had too much grass-court nous for Italian Luciano Darderi in their third-round clash on Friday, prevailing 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

• Australian beats France’s Arthur Cazaux 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0

• No 1 says grass tournament is like a ‘second home slam’

Alex de Minaur has been left relieved to blast back from being a set down and avoid joining the legion of seeds who have already been scattered at this shock-laden Wimbledon.

In perfect sunny conditions on Thursday morning, Australia’s big hope brushed off a woeful first set against French qualifier Arthur Cazaux before regrouping, asserting his superiority and eventually prevailing 4-6 6-2 6-4 6-0 to ease into the third round again.

• Australian beats Benjamin Bonzi 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

• He next meets Luciano Darderi, ranked No 59, or Arthur Fery

Jordan Thompson came into Wimbledon with a large box of painkillers, a thick black brace for his back, and a dream that somehow he would defy his body long enough to make an impact at the tournament he loves so much. Two titanic five-set matches later, the Sydneysider is still standing on the green lawns of SW19, just.

With Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt, the last Australian man to win at Wimbledon, watching on, Thompson beat Benjamin Bonzi 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in nine minutes shy of four hours. After Bonzi hit a return into the net on the second match point, Thompson let out a primal scream into the evening sky, smiled and pointed to his heart.

• Kasatkina beats Emiliana Arango in one of four Australian wins on day two

• Alex de Minaur, Aleksandar Vukic and Rinky Hijikata also victorious

Australia’s Wimbledon challenge has been reinvigorated after a disastrous opening day, with the national No 1s Daria Kasatkina and Alex de Minaur leading a four-win revival.

On another sweltering day in London on Tuesday, the pair raced into the second round by early afternoon and were joined by Aleksandar Vukic and Rinky Hijikata. Seven Australians had lost in Monday’s calamitous start, with only an injured Jordan Thompson battling through, but there’ll now be five in the last-64 draw.

• Much-fancied 20th seed suffers opening day upset

• Jordan Thompson brightens gloom for Australian contingent

One of Australia’s biggest Wimbledon hopes, Alexei Popyrin, has crashed out of tournament to a British player ranked No.461 in the world while only a wonderful trademark comeback from Jordan Thompson could rescue a poor start for the Australian contingent on the sun-drenched grass-court grand slam.

Big-serving Popyrin, the 20th seed and the biggest Australian men’s hope beyond Alex de Minaur, tumbled out to French-born English wildcard Arthur Fery 6-4 6-1 4-6 6-4 in one of the biggest upsets of the opening Monday.