Dominic Thiem has won the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Barcelona against the young Spaniard Jaume Munar. Austria’s figurehead won 7:6 (8) and 6:1 against the world’s number 174 in the Catalan metropolis.
Dominic Thiem hadn’t had to wait too long before the second largest seat at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona was a real treat. Monte Carlo finalist Kei Nishikori and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were content with one sentence because the fragile Japanese had to throw in the towel once again.
The lesson in the Principality, when Thiem only played two games against Rafael Nadal, could shake the world ranking seven out of his clothes. Yet! The fact that an early break doesn’t always have to be good for the game became clear in the middle of the first set. Wildcard holder Munar managed the 3:3 equaliser with a courageous backhand return.
As a result, the Lichtenwörther, who again played completely in black, picked up the pace again. But Munar confirmed Günter Bresnik’s advance praise: Thiems long-term coach had expressly praised the 20-year-old Mallorcan’s excellent serve and good forehand in advance.
Logical consequence: Tiebreak. The short decision was as balanced as the entire first round. After a big fight, it was the experience of the favourite that gave Thiem the decisive advantage after one hour and three minutes. Previously, the 24-year-old was able to destroy one of his tough opponent’s set points.
The fact that last year’s finalist still has a lot of room for improvement could not be overlooked at the beginning of the second section. However, Munar’s increasing resignation played Thiem in the cards: After the 3-1 break he had everything under control and turned his first match point after 1:29 hour.
In the round of 16, the third seeded player will face either Guido Pella from Argentina or Slovakian Lucky Loser Jozef Kovalik on Thursday. The internal comparison against Pella is 2-2, the last two duels (Australian Open and Buenos Aires 2018) went to Thiem. The world number 146 from Bratislava had lost out against the nine-time ATP title holder in Indian Wells in 2016.
Here the single tableau in Barcelona
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