Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 8, 2021 Austria’s Dominic Thiem celebrates winning his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin REUTERS/Kelly Defina
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 8, 2021 Austria’s Dominic Thiem celebrates winning his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin REUTERS/Kelly Defina
World No. 4 Dominic Thiem took on Australian player Alex De Minaur in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2021. They have faced each other thrice in the past, and the Austrian ace has emerged victorious on all occasions. In their fourth meeting today, Thiem extended the streak to four wins, winning the match 7-6 (7), 6-4.
In the opening set, both Thiem and Minaur were engaged in a fierce battle and broke each others serve once during the set. However, things got intense when the outcome of the set had to be decided by a tiebreaker.
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PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 30: Dominic Thiem of Austria plays a forehand during his Men’s Singles second round match against Jack Sock of The United States of America on day four of the 2020 French Open at Roland Garros on September 30, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
During the tiebreak, the defending US Open champion saved a set point. In the end, Thiem’s experience led him to clinch the first set, 7-6 (7).
Dominic Thiem broke serve twice in the second set
Similar to the previous set, neither player was handing easy points to their opponent during the second set. They were putting pressure on their opponent’s serve and broke each other. However, the Austrian player got the second break of the set towards the business end and eventually served out for the match. The 27-year-old won the set 6-4, thus winning the match after nearly two hours.
During the match, it was Dominic who served slightly better than Alex De Minaur, which helped him cross the finishing line. Thiem ended up winning 77 points during the match compared to his opponent’s 69 points.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Alex De Minaur of Australia celebrates match point in his second round match against Henri Laaksonen of Switzerland during day three of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
After winning his match today, Thiem stated, “I still lack the rhythm of the match a bit, but that is whining on a high level!” He will face the winner of the match between John Isner and Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal. (Translated using Google translate)
It will be interesting to see how the Austrian star performs in Madrid since he has returned after a brief period.
Another great win for Thiem!
The 🇦🇹 is through to the #MMOPEN quarter-finals.@ThiemDomi d De Miñaur 76 64 pic.twitter.com/Op9PTO5Ss9
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 6, 2021
Dominik #Thiem überspringt mit De Minaur die zweite Hürde in Madrid, gewinnt 7:6, 6:4. In Satz eins wehrt Thiem im Tie-Break einen Satzball ab. „Es fehlt mir noch ein bisschen der Matchrhythmus, aber das ist jammern auf hohem Niveau!“
Gegner im Viertelfinale: Rublev oder Isner! pic.twitter.com/nUpMvsMs41
— Phillip Lautischer (@Sky_PhillipL) May 6, 2021
Speaking about Thiem and his performances this season, he took a break from Tour after a string of poor performances. He lost early in the Australian Open, followed by Doha and Dubai. He made his return at the Mutua Madrid Open this week.
