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The three-time main finalist will now face former US Open champion Marin Cilic (CRO-31) on Saturday. In the fight for his fifth round of 16 at Flushing Meadows, Thiem is hoping for his third win in game three against Cilic. The world number three is playing for the first time at Grand Slam level against the 31-year-old 1.98m man. It will be the first real touchstone for Thiem at his seventh US Open.
“I try to keep the points a bit shorter. Generally things are going in the right direction. It is difficult to say where I am currently, even if I have played a lot of exhibition games, but this is the real competition,” Thiem said. “I’m still trying to find my game a bit and get back to where I left off before the crisis.”
Thiem started properly and after a break in the second game at twelve minutes he was already leading 3-0. But after a ten-minute service game from Thiem, which still had too many flaws, the outsider used the re-break fifth ball to make it 2: 3. After 30 minutes, the lead was lost again. But after another break at 5: 3, Thiem served with an ace to 6: 3 after 43 minutes to lead 1-0.
“Good for self-confidence and fitness”
Thiem was more excited about having to pour a can of Red Bull into a mug, because advertising other beverage manufacturers is not allowed in the square. He even called the supervisor and complained. “Are you careful about anti-doping, then you take the can from me without telling me what I’m going to drink?” When Thiem poured his drink into the paper cup the next time he switched sides, a helper was available to cover the can with a towel in front of the camera.
With breaks at 1: 0 and 5: 2 as well as better service performance, Thiem, who had to surrender again to serve 5: 3, then at 77 minutes the 2: 0 in sets. An early 2-0 break had the last few skeptics to believe in Thiem’s victory. He used his third match point on Nagal’s serve to advance to the third round.
“If I play well and win clearly in the early rounds, it’s good for my self-confidence and my fitness,” said Thiem, who is now in the bottom 32 without dropping a set. “I try to win my matches as quickly as possible, but it always depends on the opponent and how I play.”
Thiem expects a difficult match against Cilic: “He is a true champion. He knows what it takes to win even these big tournaments. It will be our first match at Grand Slam level, I am looking forward to it.”
Thiem before hitting Cilic: “It takes a very good performance”
Cilic may not be as highly valued in public, but he is one of the best players of the last decade, not only has he won the main title, but also two Grand Slam finals and also won a Masters 1000 tournament. “It’s a name which you don’t even need in round three. Fortunately, it settled down at all. “
However, the Croatian was very challenged in the first two rounds, avoiding Dennis Kudla (USA) in the first round in five sets and the Slovak Norbert Gombos also tortured Cilic to four sets. “It can definitely be the case that he goes a long way in individual tournaments, he can certainly beat anyone on good days. If he plays well, he can beat me too. I have to be careful about that,” Thiem warns. It will be an interesting job.
Thiem is still a long way from his quarter-final form at the US Open 2018, but: “I would say he can go very fast to get back to that form. But of course it can also happen that he doesn’t go that far.” It comes because I lose the next round. At the time Nadal, that was one of the three best matches I’ve ever played, “Thiem recalled. I could reach this form a few times a year.” But the goal is of course to get as close to this great form in every tournament as possible. “.
Thiem has a good chance that this cracker will be scheduled for the first time this year in the evening session, that is, Sunday night CEST. What is certain is that he will play at Arthur Ashe or at Louis Armstrong Stadium. An advantage for him because places are slower than outside. The new surface at the US Open is already a bit worn from the previous Masters 1000 tournament and therefore faster, in the really large stadiums there was little play due to spectators not present anyway.
On the other hand, Thiem does not necessarily see an advantage in that the electronic linesman system introduced in the outdoor areas due to the crown crisis is not used in the large stadiums as well. There are still linesmen standing there. “It really can only have something to do with tradition. I find this ‘electronic line’ relatively nice because no mistake happens. If there is a tight ball, it shows up automatically right away.” Delayed calls from the linesman, as in the match against Nagal, do not exist.
Thiem also commented again on the Red Bull can incident at the international press conference. You know you are not allowed to take the can onto the court. “They wanted to come out with the can and put it in a cup without my being able to look. That bothered me a bit because the anti-doping rules are very strict. I don’t want to lose the can out of sight.” . “
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