Juan Martin Del Potro has knocked out 14th seed Dominic Thiem 7-6(5), 6-3, in the second round of the Madrid Open.
The match looked to be a titanic clash between the two players. The injury-plague Del Potro was playing in only his second tournament on clay in three years. Whilst Thiem has already enjoyed a magnitude of success of the tour this year, winning ATP titles in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Acapulco, Mexico.
The meeting between the two didn’t fail to disappoint after a opening set consisting of the best tennis from both players. Del Potro looked the most comfortable at the start of the match as Thiem struggled to keep his first serve in. The Argentine has a chance to break in the opening game but failed to do so due to the supremacy of Thiem’s defense. This became a regular occurrence throughout the set with Del Potro closing in but just falling short to grabbing the critical lead. An overrule by the umpire in the seventh game handed the former US Open champion two more break points in the seventh game but yet again he failed to break Thiem.
As the opening set approached its climax, it was Thiem’s turn to apply the pressure as Del Potro started to falter. The Austrian had three set points to clinch the set 6-4, but failed to convert due to two tight looking shots as well as a blistering serve down the line from Del Potro.
The closeness between the two men had to be decided in the only suitable way, a tiebreaker. Del Potro was the first to attack after hitting an outstanding forehand winner to lead 3-0. The lead was squandered by a forehand shank by Del Potro, allowing Thiem to gradually level once again at 4-4. As the proceedings went according to serve, it was Thiem’s turn to try and save a set point. At the most critical point he buckled with a tight forehand error to hand the first set to the Argentine player.
Del Potro continued his winning momentum into the second set as he finally broke Thiem’s service game for the first time in the match to lead 3-0. The early efforts invested by Del Potro was almost wasted after a series of superb shots from the Austrian gave him a chance to break back a couple games later. Facing danger, the Argentine avoided the break by fighting back and taking the game with a backhand slice at the net. Closing out the match proved to be troublesome for the crowd favorite. Two match points came and went before he sealed the match thanks a forehand error from his rival.
Watch @delpotrojuan seal victory over #Thiem in Madrid: his biggest win since returning from injury! #MMOPEN #Delpo https://t.co/a505zXxAAM
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) 3 May 2016
The key to Del Potro’s success was the dominance of his serve. The Argentine’s 75% first serve winning rate was aided by 9 aces. Furthermore, he produced 22 unforced errors alongside 32 unforced errors.
The significance of the win was apparent for Del Potro, who was in tears following his triumph. The victory is the Argentine’s first over a top-20 player since Fabio Fognini at the 2015 Brisbane International (16 months ago).
Next up for the former grand slam champion will be Jack Sock. Sock booked his place in the second round after battling past Benoit Paire 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5).
