In one of the first matches of the 2021 ATP Cup, Austria took on Italy. They had gotten to a perfect start by winning the first singles’ match, and they needed Dominic Thiem to win another to seal a victory. However, he faced a huge challenge from Matteo Berrettini.
Dominic Thiem vs Matteo Berrettini: First Set
The first set of the match was dominated by the Italian. He broke Thiem’s serve twice and in addition to that, he also never faced a single breakpoint. Such amazing tennis won him the first set 6-2, putting an enormous amount of pressure on the Austrian.
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Second Set
The second set was very important for Thiem but he did not start it well at all. He was broken in the very first game by Berrettini, who was playing the tennis of his life. The Austrian had a small chance to break at 0-1 but the Italian saved it to lead 2-0.
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To have any chance at a comeback, Thiem had to hold his serve at that time. Unfortunately, that did not happen. With some great hitting, Berrettini broke him for the fourth time and took a commanding 3-0 lead.
To win his first game of the second set, Dominic finally held his serve. He also broke the Italian for the first time in the match. He consolidated this break by holding serve and reduced Berrettini’s lead to 4-3.
Unfortunately for Thiem, Matteo still had another break in hand and he did not let it go. He went on to hold his serve and sealed the match, 6-2, 6-4. It was the Italian’s first win against a Top 3 player and he was definitely happy about it.
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This was certainly not the loss that Thiem expected. He was completely dominated by his opponent, and it is not a good sign for the upcoming Australian Open. Hopefully, we will see him play a lot better in the upcoming matches at the ATP Cup.