Dominic Thiem flipped the script emphatically on Luca Nardi Tuesday night time in Antwerp to seal a hard-earned first-round win on the European Open.
The previous World No. 3 Thiem at one level trailed by a set and a break however recovered for a 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 triumph on the Belgian indoor ATP 250. The Austrian clinched an important break of serve to degree at 3-3 within the second set and that proved the catalyst for an more and more commanding Thiem show as Nardi pale after a vivid begin of their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head assembly.
“It was a really powerful match. It’s all the time fascinating to play towards an incredible participant for the very first time,” mentioned Thiem. “I’ve the sensation it’s fairly quick circumstances. We each served nicely. I wanted to regulate a bit bit to regulate to the floor and I used to be a set and a break down, after which I used to be capable of flip it round.
“I performed an incredible tie-break, which received shut on the finish after which the third set was actually good. I’m actually comfortable.”
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Together with his two-hour, 28-minute victory, Thiem snapped an eight-match tour-level shedding streak towards Italian opponents. The Austrian was two factors from defeat on two events within the second-set tie-break however didn’t lose his nerve and later dominated a deciding set through which he didn’t face a break level.
Thiem is now 17-20 for the 12 months, a tally that features a championship-match run in Kitzbühel. The 17-time tour-level titlist will tackle fifth seed Yannick Hanfmann within the second spherical after the German beat house qualifier Alexander Blockx 6-4, 7-6(3).
Alexander Shevchenko prevailed in a tense conflict with Benjamin Bonzi to make a profitable begin to his maiden Antwerp marketing campaign. The World No. 84 claimed a 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-3 first-round triumph towards France’s Bonzi. Shevchenko’s aggressive strategy paid off within the latter levels of the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head conflict as he powered 46 winners to Bonzi’s 31.
It was a tenth tour-level win for Shevchenko, who had not received a match at that degree previous to April in Barcelona. The 22-year-old, who reached a career-high No. 83 within the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in August, will tackle Juan Pablo Varillas subsequent after the Peruvian beat Fabian Marozsan 7-6(7), 6-4.
Additionally on Tuesday, #NextGenATP Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard claimed his maiden ATP Tour victory by upsetting sixth seed Roberto Carballes Baena 0-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). The 20-year-old Mpetshi Perricard, who made his tour-level debut as a wild card at Roland Garros in Might, recovered from a nightmare begin to set a second-round appointment with house favorite David Goffin.
Serving 🆙 a shock 🇫🇷@MpetshiG saves match level to take down (6) Carballes Baena for a maiden tour degree triumph@EuroTennisOpen | #EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/xcLPLapEd7
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 17, 2023
Maximilian Marterer notched an early upset on his Antwerp debut because the German downed seventh seed Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4. It was a second Prime 100 win of the season for the 28-year-old Marterer, who will face countryman Dominik Koepfer or Nuno Borges subsequent.
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