Thiem's Three-Set Winston-Salem Battle In Rain Delay

Dominic Thiem’s first hard-court match since March 2021 is in a rain delay midway through the third set at the Winston-Salem Open.

The former World No. 3 worked hard to take a 6-7(5), 7-5, 3-2 lead against American J.J. Wolf on Monday evening after two hours and 30 minutes before the weather forced the players off the court. The winner will play 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, the top seed, in the second round.

Thiem showed some inconsistency early on, making uncharacteristic errors. In the crucial moments, he dialed back his aggression to keep the ball in the court, allowing Wolf to take control of rallies and win the first-set tie-break.

But 2020 US Open champion Thiem has also flashed his trademark brilliance on Stadium Court, blasting one-handed backhands down the line and threading the needle with perfect passing shots on his main draw debut at the ATP 250.

In the same section of the draw, former Top 10 star Fabio Fognini defeated Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 7-5 in a rematch of the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final. The Italian will next play 13th seed Jack Draper.

Earlier in the day, #NextGenATP standout Chun-Hsin Tseng clawed past lucky loser Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to earn a clash against 15th seed Jaume Munar.

There were two opening-round matches that went to final-set tie-breaks. Adrian Mannarino outlasted Christopher O’Connell 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 7-6(3) after three hours and 31 minutes, while James Duckworth rallied past Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) after two hours and 15 minutes.

Kyle Edmund continued his comeback from left knee surgery with a 6-2, 7-5 win against Greek ATP Cup team member Michail Pervolarakis 6-2, 7-5. The Briton will next challenge 10th seed Benjamin Bonzi.

[ATP APP]

Top Seeds Advance In Doubles Draw
Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have won four titles this year. On Monday, the top seeds began their charge for a fifth trophy in 2022 with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in Winston-Salem.

The second seeds’ day did not go as smoothly. Simone Bolelli and Marcelo Melo eliminated Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-4, 7-6(3). In a battle of Americans, Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson defeated Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-3, 5-7, 10-6.