Thompson, 28 and ranked 87th in the world, secured the upset
when a blistering forehand from Tsitsipas landed just wide on the first match
point.
"I'm thankful that last ball was out -- I thought it
was in," Thompson told fans on court.
He gained his first victory over Tsitsipas in three career
meetings, ending the Greek player's chances of rising to number one in the
world over the course of the "Sunshine Double" of Indian Wells and
the following Miami Open, both joint WTA and ATP Masters 1000 events.
For Tsitsipas it was another setback in the wake of his run
to the Australian Open final in January.
He departed Melbourne energized despite falling to Novak
Djokovic in the title match, but shortly thereafter suffered a shoulder injury.
Playing his first tournament since a second-round exit at
Rotterdam, Tsitsipas admitted earlier this week that with his shoulder still
troubling him he didn't have high hopes of a third Masters 1000 crown.
Thompson, who defeated French veteran Gael Monfils in the
first round, next faces either US 32nd seed Maxime Cressy or Chilean qualifier
Alejandro Tabilo.
"It's unreal," he said, crediting an aggressive
mindset in the first set with putting him on the path to victory.
While Tsitsipas led the third-set tiebreaker 2-1 and 4-3,
Thompson held his nerve and Tsitsipas was the one to blink, slamming a forehand
into the net before the near miss on the final point.
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