Austrian tennis pro Dominic Thiem survived the first round of a Grand Slam tournament at the US Open for the first time in over two years. Iga Swiatek is also one lap further.
The winner of 2020 won 6: 3, 6: 2, 6: 4 at the start in New York on Monday (28.08.2023) against Kazakh Alexander Bublik, who was seeded in 25th place. “It’s very special because it’s been a long time. I couldn’t think of a better place than here with all the memories”said Thiem, “I’m super, super happy and grateful for the support.”
Bublik with 17 double faults
While his opponent acted completely inconsistently and produced 17 double errors, among other things, Thiem pointed to that grandstand in Flushing Meadows a focused effort. The Austrian reached the second round of the seventh time after 1:54 hours US Open. This was the last time he felt it Grand Slam-level in January 2021 at the Australian Open succeeded.
For Thiem, who in 2020 in the final Alexander Zverev snatched the possible first Grand Slam title of his career in a memorable tie-break in the fifth set, the victory was a liberation. Today’s number 81 in the world has dropped to 352 in the ATP rankings in recent years due to a persistent wrist injury. In the spring of 2023, the Lower Austrian had made mental problems public.
Swiatek also loose in round two
The world number one Iga Swiatek has easily mastered the first step to successfully defending his title at the US Open. The four-time Grand Slam winner from Poland beat Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson 6-0, 6-1 in just 59 minutes in her first round match in New York. Swiatek will now face Australia’s Daria Saville in the second round.
The Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and French Open finalist Carolina Muchowa from the Czech Republic also survived the first round. Bencic beat Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-2, 6-4, while Muchova beat Australia’s Storm Hunter 6-4, 6-0.