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Doha – Thursday, 11.03.2021, 23:13
For Dominic Thiem, after the round of 16 at the Australian Open, the second tournament of the season did not go as expected. At the ATP-250 in Doha, the first seed from Lower Austria will finish in the quarterfinals against Roberto Bautista Agut.
“It is always extremely difficult to play against him because he fights from the first to the last point and he gives you nothing,” Thiem said in an initial reaction. Also, Bautista Agut feels “super good” in Doha. In 2019 he won one of his 9 ATP titles there.
Despite the premature failure, Thiem tries to emphasize the positive. “Overall, I am quite happy with my performance. I fought at a fairly high level from start to finish in a match. Of course, I made some cheap, stupid mistakes in one game or another. But I think it was a small step in the game. right direction and I will try to take advantage of it next week in Dubai, “said the 17-time winner of the ATP tournament. Thiem also takes first place in the ATP500 event in Dubai, which begins on Sunday.
Bautista Agut: “I tried to give more than 120 percent”
Bautista Agut was happy for the victory after a “very tough fight.” “He always gives 120 percent, I tried to give more than 120 percent. I had to run and fight a lot against a very good player to defeat him.”
After a break, the decision was made in the tiebreak of the first set, in which Bautista Agut moved away 4-1 from the beginning and no longer gave up that advantage. 1:01 hours were played. In the second set, Thiem, who was victorious in the round of 16 against Aslan Karatsev 6: 7 (5), 6: 3.6: 2, laid the groundwork for the equalization of the set with the break at 2: 0. allowed to drift off the track for an immediate loss of serve and took serve from his opponent twice at 4: 2 and 6: 2. After just 34 minutes, everything was open again.
In the decision-making process, both actors staggered to serve. Thiem managed the rebreak to 1: 1, but Bautista Agut broke Austria’s number one to 3: 2 again. In the end, that was crucial. After almost exactly 2:25 hours, he was ranked 13th. On his first match point, Thiem ended the game with an error of his own at the net.
Lichtenwörther left the field as the loser for the fourth time in the fifth direct duel. Only in 2018 in the semi-finals in St. Petersburg has he won against Bautista Agut so far.
Text: © LAOLA1.at/APA
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