“Still Lack the Rhythm” – Dominic Thiem on Moving Into the Quarterfinal at Mutua Madrid Open 2021

World No. 4 Dominic Thiem took on Australian player Alex De Minaur in the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open 2021. They have faced each other thrice in the past, and the Austrian ace has emerged victorious on all occasions. In their fourth meeting today, Thiem extended the streak to four wins, winning the match 7-6 (7), 6-4.

In the opening set, both Thiem and Minaur were engaged in a fierce battle and broke each others serve once during the set. However, things got intense when the outcome of the set had to be decided by a tiebreaker.

During the tiebreak, the defending US Open champion saved a set point. In the end, Thiem’s experience led him to clinch the first set, 7-6 (7).

Dominic Thiem broke serve twice in the second set

Similar to the previous set, neither player was handing easy points to their opponent during the second set. They were putting pressure on their opponent’s serve and broke each other. However, the Austrian player got the second break of the set towards the business end and eventually served out for the match. The 27-year-old won the set 6-4, thus winning the match after nearly two hours.

During the match, it was Dominic who served slightly better than Alex De Minaur, which helped him cross the finishing line. Thiem ended up winning 77 points during the match compared to his opponent’s 69 points.

After winning his match today, Thiem stated, “I still lack the rhythm of the match a bit, but that is whining on a high level!” He will face the winner of the match between John Isner and Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal. (Translated using Google translate)

It will be interesting to see how the Austrian star performs in Madrid since he has returned after a brief period.

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Dominik #Thiem überspringt mit De Minaur die zweite Hürde in Madrid, gewinnt 7:6, 6:4. In Satz eins wehrt Thiem im Tie-Break einen Satzball ab. „Es fehlt mir noch ein bisschen der Matchrhythmus, aber das ist jammern auf hohem Niveau!“

Gegner im Viertelfinale: Rublev oder Isner! pic.twitter.com/nUpMvsMs41

— Phillip Lautischer (@Sky_PhillipL) May 6, 2021

Speaking about Thiem and his performances this season, he took a break from Tour after a string of poor performances. He lost early in the Australian Open, followed by Doha and Dubai. He made his return at the Mutua Madrid Open this week.