Controversial scenes at Cincinnati Open as Jordan Thompson heckled with Nick Kyrgios jibe by fan reportedly betting on Ugo Humbert during 1R clash
Australian Jordan Thompson was nastily heckled by a fan throughout his first-round clash against 13th seed Ugo Humbert at the Cincinnati Open. However, Thompson rose above the heckler's incessant jibes to ultimately win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) and reach the second round of the Masters 1000 event.
It was smooth sailing for Humbert in the first set, as Thompson struggled to find his feet. However, the Australian had settled into the proceedings by the time the second set started, and it was evident in his display. He was particularly effective on his first serves and also converted two of six break point opportunities on the way to his victory.
As soon as Thompson started to turn things around in his favor though, controversy erupted, as a fan, wearing a white shirt and seated close to the court, started heckling the Aussie. Another individual who was in attendance, took to X (formerly Twitter) to provide a detailed, chronological account of the fan's unruly behavior.
World No. 32 Jordan Thompson had initially stayed silent, but was later compelled to complain about the unpleasant situation to chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, who proceeded to ask the fan to remain silent.
Security too, needed to intervene to give the troublemaker an ultimatum; to stop heckling Thompson or be thrown out. However, the fan was soon at it again, at one point telling the Australian that he would rather watch Nick Kyrgios than Thompson.
The fan who reported the developments as they happened on X claimed that the heckler had bet on Humbert and was continuing to bet on the World No. 17 on DraftKings, a sports betting platform. Ultimately though, the heckler made a swift exit once Thompson sealed the win. The chronicler concluded his long thread of posts by condemning the heckler's abhorrent behavior.
Jordan Thompson set to meet Sebastian Baez next at Cincinnati Open 2024
Thompson will face Argentina's Sebastian Baez in the second round of the Cincinnati Open. The Argentine survived a scare in the opening round, edging out Marcos Giron 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6).
Thompson and Baez will lock horns for the second time on the ATP Tour, with the latter winning their previous encounter 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Mallorca Championships in 2023.
The winner of the match between Thompson and Baez at this year's Cincinnati Open will go on to face either qualifier Alex Michelsen or World No. 1 Jannik Sinner for a place in the quarterfinals.