6-2, 6-0: Thiem equals most comprehensive win of career to reach second round in Gijon

Dominic Thiem will play the winner of the match between American Marcos Giron and Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the No 8 seed, in the next round

Dominic Thiem at the 2022 Moselle Open in Metz

Laurent Lairys / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

October 10, 2022

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem scored the most comprehensive win of his career, dropping only two games to beat Portugal’s Joao Sousa in the first round of the Gijon Open.

The Austrian, now ranked No 165 in the world, won the final nine games of the match in a row to beat Sousa 6-2, 6-0 in one hour and two minutes at the Palacio deportes on Monday.

With the loss of just two games, Monday’s win equalled his biggest win (in terms of number of games lost) of his career on the main tour. In 2013, Thiem had also dropped only two games while beating Jarsolav Pospisil in Vienna (6-1, 6-1).

“It’s probably my best game in a long time” – Thiem

Speaking after the win, the 29-year-old said it was his best match in a long time and that he hopes to return to the top 100 by the end of the season.

“It’s probably my best game in a long time,” Thiem said. “I was able to maintain a very good level from the first to the last point. I moved well, I put a lot of power while keeping security. (…) My goal is to be in the top 100 by the end of the season.”

With today’s win, the Austrian is projected to move back into the top 160 of the rankings next week. Thiem returned to the tour in March this year after nine months on the sidelines due to a wrist injury. He failed to win a match in his first seven tournaments back, before breaking that streak with a win in Salzburg.

He did manage to reach three consecutive quarter-finals on clay at the ATP Tour level, with included a semi-final finish in Gstaad and he also reached the final in of the Rennes Challenger last month to gain some momentum and confidence in his comeback.

Thiem, a former world No 3, will face the winner of the match between American Marcos Giron and Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the No 8 seed, next.