Dominic Thiem versus Benoit Paire was the last match of the day. The Austrian was in fine form and managed to best his rival in a 5-set match. Sometime during the game, Thiem smacked a beautiful shot past the Frenchman to win the point.
What made this shot so special was the fact that it was a double-handed backhanded shot that went cross-court. It was also worth mentioning that since it was the last match of the day, it ran till quite late in the night. In fact, the match ended at around 1am local time.
Thiem (🎥@Eurosport_RU ) pic.twitter.com/VBVzo3zNUB
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) January 15, 2019
The final score read 6-4,6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 6-3 in Thiem’s favour. The decider was tight, staying with serve in the opening stages; but as Thiem renewed his effort, and as Paire’s legs looked fatigued, the Austrian broke in the eighth game to serve for the match.
Thiem will next face Alexei Popyrin in the second round after the latter defeated Mischa Zverev.
