Thiem returns successfully

The 24-year-old qualifier Rodionov defeated Frenchman Gregoire Barrere 2:6.6:4.7:6(5) on Thursday after fending off two match points. He will now face number 2 seeded Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the 250 hard court competition on Friday. Thiem then made it into the next round with a 6:3,7:6(8) against the Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas.

Rodionov gave up the first set in just over half an hour, but then improved and showed strong nerves in crucial phases. In the second set he pulled ahead with two breaks to 4:1 and finally used the second set point to tie the game. In the third set he fended off two match points at 4:5 with a winner and an ace, fought his way into the tiebreak, in which he used his first match point against the world number 63. On Friday (not before 2:00 p.m. CEST/Sky), Baez, number 27 in the world rankings, will be his opponent.

At his first tournament after the US Open on Saturday, Thiem will meet the 30-year-old American Marcos Giron, who beat the Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka (38) in three sets. The Lower Austrian won the first set confidently against Varillas, but then had to fight. Thiem conceded the break to make it 1:3, but immediately managed a rebreak. On his own serve, he then had to fend off a set point from Varillas. The tiebreak was also even, Thiem had to fend off set points again before he used his second match point.

“It was a tough game, a tough opponent. I lost the last game against him in Buenos Aires (in February, note),” said Thiem in the winner’s interview. He recalled that it was his first appearance since the US Open and his stomach problems (gastritis). “The first indoor tournament is always different. There are a lot of close games,” said Thiem.

Sebastian Ofner plays his first round match in Astana against Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics on Friday (8:00 CEST). At the $3.8 million 500 tournament in Beijing, Alexander Erler/Lukas Miedler defeated number three seeded Argentine Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni 6:4,6:4 in the first round.