Dominic Thiem made it clear that they had reached the round of 16 in Antwerp on Tuesday evening. Also because this time he took advantage of his opportunities.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: October 18, 2023, 4:03 p.m
© GEPA Pictures
Dominic Thiem had a close match against Luca Nardi
The beautiful word “opportunistic” can be found in the language used by US sports reporters. What this means is that an athlete or a team seizes every opportunity, no matter how small, in order to derive success from it. Seen this way, Dominic Thiem was very opportunistic on Tuesday evening in Antwerp – finally, one might almost say.
Luca Nardi was actually on his way to the round of 16 after winning the first set, leading 3-2 with a break in the second round and 40-0 on his own serve. But just then the Italian Dominic Thiem suddenly offered a small door through which he marched with a rock-solid game. In the tiebreak, Nardi was only two points short of victory – but in the deciding set it was only Thiem who set the tone.
Hanfmann beats Thiem in Kitzbühel
Dominic Thiem can now compete with Yannick Hanfmann, number five in Antwerp. The two have played against each other once so far, in 2022 in Kitzbühel the German won in three sets. Hanfmann is playing a very decent season and is ranked fifth in Antwerp. The starting position is still open – because every now and then Thiem’s forehand next to Nardi hit like a rocket in Edmund Sackbauer’s neighboring house in the legendary New Year’s Eve episode of “A real Viennese doesn’t go under”.
Every now and then Thiem also clearly distorted the backhand longline against Nardi – but that didn’t take revenge in the end. The entry into an ATP tournament on a Tuesday evening was a success – next Tuesday the procedure will be repeated in Vienna for Dominic Thiem. However, under different circumstances: It can be assumed that the town hall will really help the local hero and champion of 2019. There were a few supporters for Thiem in Antwerp – the now 30-year-old had to get himself in the mood. Which he did from the middle of the second set.
Here is the individual tableau in Antwerp
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Thiem Dominic
2023-10-18 07:12:00
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