The 28-year-old benefited on Tuesday (local time) with 0: 6.4: 2 after 58 minutes from the task of top seed Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian suddenly felt unwell and ended the game after consulting the physiotherapist. On Wednesday (7:00 p.m. local time; Thursday, 1:00 a.m. CEST), Thiem will play in the first duel with 20-year-old Briton Jack Draper (No. 13) for the quarter-finals.
“The most important thing is that Grigor will soon feel good and be fit for the US Open,” Thiem wished his opponent a speedy recovery. After the end of his first round game against the American JJ Wolf after midnight, the Lichtenwörther only got to bed at 3:30 a.m. and then had against the world number 19. significant start-up difficulties. “It was difficult to get the intensity up again right away – mainly because I haven’t had a situation like this for a long time. But every time I have a situation like this again, it will help me.”
In the first sentence, there was hardly anything to indicate Thiem’s rise. The 2020 US Open winner found three breakballs in the first game, but missed them, while Dimitrov found his game and marched away. At Thiem, on the other hand, the timing was not right, ten unforced errors were spread over 24 minutes. After this period of time, set one was already over, Thiem had only scored a total of three points in his own service. His 31-year-old opponent, on the other hand, impressed with a few winners and seemed to continue straight away.
With a 0-1 deficit, Thiem found his serve at the beginning of the second round and gradually found his game, too, he made it 1-1 with a forehand winner. A little later, the 28-year-old equalized with his first ace to 2: 2 before Thiem managed the break with his first chance in the second set. Prepared with a long slice, he drove Dimitrov into a forehand error. Thiem quickly confirmed the break with the 4: 2 before Dimitrow took the break from treatment. He came back onto the court but then shook his head and gave up.
“The match was a bit strange,” said Thiem, in the head-to-head with Dimitrow now only 3.4 behind. “Had three breakballs right at the beginning and didn’t use them, then he rolled over me with a 6:0. In the second set, the intensity was a bit better for me. I kept my service games quite well, I did the return games played a bit better in the second set.” Nevertheless, he would have liked to have continued playing in the second set, explained Thiem. “Especially because it got a little bit better in the second set.”
After the suboptimal first set, Thiem, who is equipped with a wildcard, is now given the opportunity to collect more match practice before the US Open, which begins on Monday. Draper is world number 55. and won against Fabio Fognini (ITA). In the first round, Thiem Wolf, who can currently only be found in world ranking position 231, only defeated a wafer-thin 6: 7 (4), 7: 5, 7: 6 (6). With Jürgen Melzer, an Austrian has already won this ATP250 event, in 2013 the Lower Austrian celebrated his fifth and last individual tournament victory on the tour.
Source: Nachrichten
