ATP Masters Miami: Dominic Thiem and Lorenzo Sonego - only home games so far
Dominic Thiem and Lorenzo Sonego have met twice on the ATP tour so far. on sand. In round one of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, there is now the first encounter on hard court (from midnight live on TV and live stream on Sky and WOW and in our ticker).
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 23, 2023, 05:21 am
There are two parallels between the matches that Dominic Thiem and Lorenzo Sonego have played against each other so far: both took place on sand. And in both, a player was allowed to be cheered on as a local hero - theoretically. Because while Thiem was allowed to build on a full Kitzbühel stadium at the Generali open in 2019, Sonego's home advantage suffered a lot from the Corona measures almost two years later in Rome.
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Which didn't stop the Italian from taking revenge for the defeat in the shadow of the Kitzbüheler Horn. Two things have to be said about this: The tournament in the Foro Italico is not particularly high in Dominic Thiem's list of favorites, something was almost always that spoiled the Austrian's mood for the game. And in 2021 Thiem had already come to Rome in a rather modest mood. No longer with the fire that had distinguished him two years earlier (admittedly: not in Rome. Thiem lost there that year on the Pietrangeli Fernando Verdasco).
Thiem leaves a chance in Indian Wells
Dominic Thiem currently seems to be looking for this fire again. A win against Adrian Mannarino in Indian Wells would certainly have helped. And it's not as if the chances weren't there. But Thiem let Mannarino off the shovel, missing a meeting with Lorenzo Musetti, who was also looking for form, and thus a possible third round in Tennis Paradise.
Sonego, on the other hand, hasn't played stars from the sky this season either. In Doha he generously gave up the win against Andy Murray, in Dubai it was enough for a quarterfinal, which the Italian lost to Alexander Zverev.
It is therefore rather difficult to identify a favourite, even if Sonego as number 59 is currently classified far ahead of Thiem (106). But as is so often the case, Lorenzo Sonego alone could determine the outcome of the match: The 27-year-old tournament is known for always playing at top speed. that can often be good, but sometimes capital can go astray.
Here is the individual tableau in Miami
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