The Lower Austrian defeated number six Francisco Cerundolo 6:1,1:6,7:5 in the round of 16 on Thursday. He had already defeated the Argentinian in the Gijon quarter-finals last week, at that time still smooth. In the quarter-finals of the hard-court event in Belgium on Friday, he meets top seed Hubert Hurkacz from Poland.
Thiem has lost all three previous duels against the 1.96 meter tall number eleven in the world, most recently in two sets in the Metz round of 16 at the end of September. In the new edition against Cerundolo, it only went like clockwork for Thiem at first. The former US Open champion played powerfully in the first set, made few mistakes and returned strongly. Breaks to 2:0 and 5:1 ensured clear conditions.
In the second round, a contrary picture unexpectedly emerged, the Argentinean took the first serve from the now shaky Thiem and served after another break to make it 6: 1. In the deciding set, the former number three in the world increased again and immediately made up for a loss of serve in the seventh game. He finally fixed the hard-fought victory with a break after 2:07 hours.
“It was a very intense and close match,” summarized Thiem. “It was an open game in the third set, luckily I got the rebreak. When it comes down to it, you have to play good tennis even after two hours in a tight situation to get it across the finish line, luckily I managed that today “, explained the Lichtenwörther. It’s always difficult and a bit strange to play against someone in two consecutive weeks, he added after the duel with the world number 28, which was much tighter this time.
With Hurkacz, a real endurance test awaits the Lower Austrian a few days before the Vienna Stadthallen tournament. “He’s been among the best in the world for two years, especially indoors,” said Thiem. The Pole still had an easy time in Metz, but that should change. “I hope I can make it harder for him and I’m able to take another step forward.”
Source: Nachrichten
