Dominic Thiem brought Austria into the lead with a confident performance in the Davis Cup match against Australia. Thiem defeated Jordan Thompson smoothly in three sets.
By Jens Huiber from Graz
The only question that remained open at the opening match of the Davis Cup match between Austria and Australia between Dominic Thiem and Jordan Thompson was that after the local trumpeter’s selection of songs in the west stand: Why the Austrian number one’s performance was accompanied by sequences of a funeral march remained a mystery.
Dominic Thiem, in any case, provided no cause for concern. The 25-year-old showed the 6,000 spectators in the provisionally erected stadium at the Graz fair a rock-solid performance and his opponent Jordan Thompson at 6:1, 6:3 and 6:0 its limits.
Thompson is more on you with the sand, the Australian’s last appearance comes from the French Open. There Thompson lost in round one in five sets against Casper Ruud. Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, can do a lot with red ashes. What he also proved after the 1:1 in the first set: Thompson found himself increasingly on the defensive, did not play any more in the opening act.
Similar to the course of the game in round two. Again Thiem had an early break, in the sixth game Jordan Thompson actually had his first chance at the Austrian’s service, Thiem refused. After 67 minutes the next break for the host, 6:3 after 67 minutes.
In the only match to date between the two rivals at the Australian Open 2016, Dominic Thiem had offered three sets of lessons for Thompson, in between passage three wasted a little unconcentrated. The danger of a repetition of this little slip was never under discussion in Graz, Thompson simply lacked the weapons to endanger Thiem.
In the third set Thiem set quickly to 3-0, should there have been a remaining hope with the Australians, then this was hereby perdu. After 94 minutes the tour was dry for Austria.
The second good news: The house trumpeter had even more edifying pieces in his portfolio.