Astana, Kazakhstan, 16 May 2025 | Jackson Mansell

Hunter Thompson created history in Astana, Kazakhstan, becoming the first PWII-3 (players with an intellectual impairment) athlete to win three consecutive singles gold medals at the Virtus World Tennis Championships.

With pressure mounting on the 21-year-old to maintain his PWII-3 dominance, Thompson defeated compatriot Hayden Ballard 6-7(3) 6-1 [10-8] in the final to emerge victorious.

“It does feel really good [to win a third straight gold medal],” the II-3 world No.1 said. “Obviously, it does add to the pressure a bit, trying to keep the repetition going of trying to win back-to-back.

“Once I do get through that final match and do win it, it’s such a relief to be able to get that win and bring that home.”

The proposition of prevailing against Ballard, Thompson’s doubles partner, proved difficult given their knowledge of their opponent’s game. Close friends off the court, Thompson and Ballard faced off in a tight final at the 2024 World Championships, which also ended 10-8 in the super tiebreak.

Experience in these situations helped ease the pressure on the 21-year-old, en route to striking gold.

“Playing against [Ballard] in the finals or semifinals, it does get tough because we know each other’s game quite well,” Thompson said. “Probably knowing what his usual plan is, especially in close tiebreaks [helped Thompson get over the line]. He definitely likes to try and get into the net and win it from there.

“It was the exact same score last year in Annecy (France). He did the exact same thing then, and I just had a feeling he was going to do the same thing again.”

The duo raked in Australia’s other gold medal in one of eight medals for the green and gold. Thompson and Ballard lost just six games throughout the tournament to win their second straight II-3 doubles gold medal.

> READ: Australian team named for 2025 Virtus World Tennis Championships

Archie Graham, Kelly Wren and Timothy Gould were the other main contributors to Australia’s World Championship haul. Graham won three medals, while Wren claimed two.

Classifications in the PWII pathway: II-1 (Intellectual Disability), II-2 (Down syndrome), II-3 (Autism).

> VIEW: Full results from the 2025 Virtus World Tennis Championships

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!