Dominic Thiem had some injury worries recently, but he forgot all about that, getting the opening-round win at the 2024 Estoril Open.
Thiem hasn't played very well lately. His last two losses were arguably some of his career's worst losses. He lost twice to players who are ranked way outside of the Top 200, showing his struggles.
He then announced that he had some wrist problems again, which wasn't good news either, but none of that really shone in his match against Maximilian Marterer. The Austrian played a pretty good opening set to win it 6-1. The second set didn't start as well because he got broken early and then had to work really hard to get it back.
He did ultimately break back and made it 4-4 before leading 5-4 after he held his serve. From there both players held their serve and the set ended up in the tie-break. In it Marterer jumped out to a 5-1 lead which was enough to win the tie-break 7-3.
The final set was going to be very interesting because it was a great test for Thiem to see where he was at. Marterer is a solid player but certainly, one that Thiem should beat if he wants to be where he thinks he should be.
Thiem actually broke Marterer early to take a 1-0 lead but then lost his serve immediately which wasn't ideal. He would break once more a bit later, and this time around, things went well. He was able to keep his serve and then finish it off, winning the deciding set 6-4, and the match 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4.
It's a hugely important win for Thiem, who needs wins for confidence, especially wins on the ATP Tour. He will now take on Richard Gasquet in the second round of the tournament.
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