ATP Barcelona: Dominic Thiem is about number 13
Dominic Thiem is playing for his second title of the year at the ATP Tour 500 tournament in Barcelona today (from 4 p.m., live on Sky, in Austria on ServusTV and in our live ticker). The Austrian has met opponent Daniil Medvedev on the tour so far.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Apr 28, 2019, 07:26 am
According to Rafael Nadal, he did not leave Barcelona so dissatisfied. Well, like last week in Monte Carlo, the clay court dominator was already in the semi-finals, this time against Dominic Thiem. Nadal, however, has attested to a clear playful increase - which, however, speaks again for the class of Dominic Thiem.
The 6: 4 and 6: 4 on Saturday afternoon may not seem spectacular from a pure result perspective, but in the beginning Thiem's success was impressive in every respect. Last but not least, the absolute final phase: until the tenth game of the second set, Nadal had no break ball in his favor, then suddenly three. Thiem shook himself briefly, blocked all three chances of the Spaniard and ended the match with a clever stop.
Won against Medvedev in St. Petersburg
A very effective remedy this Saturday. That the 25-year-old Lichtenwörther will also play against Daniil Medvedev on the final day (from 4 p.m. live on Sky, in Austria on Servus TV, and in our live ticker). The sample against the Russians is limited to one match, but it was tough: Last fall, Thiem in St. Petersburg was only able to prevail after a tough battle with 6: 2, 3: 6 and 7: 6 (2).
Medvedev defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo last week and Kei Nishikori in the semifinals in Barcelona. The Japanese had all the trump cards in hand at the beginning of the third set, led with a break - Medvedev but briefly demolished a racket and won 7: 5. The Russian has consolidated himself playfully and has gained security in recent years. But is still able to set an enormous pace. With forehand and backhand, but especially with his serve.
Thiem also a favorite in Madrid
For Thiem, Barcelona is about his 13th title on the ATP tour. The Lichtenwörther has filled the dozen with success in Indian Wells. So far, Thiem has remained without a set loss in Barcelona, including against Guido Pella, who fought very well in the quarter-finals. Father Wolfgang Thiem has taken on the role of the head coach; in addition to Physio Alex Stober, Adidas coach Mats Merkel showed up in the box of the Austrian number one for the semi-final against Nadal.
Incidentally, Thiem would like to take the 500 points from Barcelona with him - this would relieve the pressure to have to defend a final in Madrid. Just as Dominic Thiem has performed in Barcelona so far, he must of course also be one of the favorites in the Spanish capital in just over a week.