The return to Paris did not bring Dominic Thiem back to winning ways. The 28-year-old from Lower Austria had to admit defeat to the Bolivian Hugo Dellien in the first round of the French Open on Sunday. Thiem lost to world number 87. after a playing time of only 2:01 hours with 3:6 2:6 4:6. For Thiem it was the seventh defeat since his comeback.
22.05.2022 11.10
Online since today, 11.10 a.m
(Update: 1.11 p.m.)
There was no sign of the last upward trend at Thiem. It was much more likely that the two-time French Open finalist and US Open winner in 2020 took a big step back in the first duel with Dellien on the rocky road back to the top of the world. It was significant that Thiem was unable to score a single break ball against the 28-year-old Bolivian on his favorite surface, sand. Coupled with a faulty game, this resulted in the clear bankruptcy.
Thiem will also continue to lose ground in the ranking. The ex-world ranking third, who recently slipped to 194th place, will appear from June 13th with 180 points fewer, those from the Roland-Garros quarter-finals 2020. He will then probably find himself around position 370. His next assignment will probably be on sand again. In any case, he received a wild card for the Challenger tournament in Perugia for the week immediately after Paris.
The Austrian fended off a breakball in his first game. In the second service game, however, he had to give up his service to make it 1:3. Dellien then easily held his serve with the help of his opponent. Although the Bolivian served modestly, Thiem made a number of mistakes, especially when returning with the forehand. After 45 minutes, Dellien took the first set from Thiem after the eleventh unforced error – a backhand into the net.
Hugo Dellien was a size too big for Dominic Thiem
No rebellion at Thiem
At Thiem, there was still a complete lack of confidence in their own game. Dellien therefore often left the initiative to the Austrian – in the knowledge that he often made mistakes. The consequence was a break in the first game of the second set, followed by a second to make it 4:1. The faces in Thiem’s box reflected the score. Coach Nicolas Massu was perplexed. There were just as few positive emotions from the supervisors as from Thiem when he showed a perfect shot in between.
But that didn’t win a match. After 1:17 hours, Dellien also had the second set easily in the bag. Thiem’s body language was anything but combative, no sign of rebellion. The Bolivian went on to have easy points and a gifted break early in the third set. When the score was 2: 3, the audience cheered for Thiem again. It had no effect. Nothing matched at Thiem that day. The 42nd unforced error – a forehand return into the net – ended the bitter game for Thiem.
