In 2014 Dominic Thiem was a guest in Gstaad for the first time, the premiere appearance was rather short: Viktor Troicki defeated the then 20-year-old Austrian in two sets. A year later, Thiem's stay in Gstaad ended much more happily: that's when he won the title. With a win in the final against David Goffin, against whom Thiem didn't always look good.

The second-round opponent from 2015 could now face Thiem again this year in this tournament stage: Federico Delbonis. Before that, however, Dominic Thiem has to play against Hugo Gaston. As an unseeded player on the way back to double-digit WTA world rankings. Seven years ago, the Lower Austrian was in 24th place in the ATP charts when he started in Gstaad.

In any case, according to Bastad's findings, the trend at Thiem is upwards. Especially since Sebastian Baez, against whom the 2020 US Open champion on the Swedish coast lost in three tight sets in the quarter-finals, gave Andrey Rublev no chance in the semi-finals. Thiem mastered some difficult situations against Emil Ruusuvuori and against Roberto Bautista Agut - especially at the beginning of the second set against the Finn. The defense of three breakballs was something like an initial spark for a phase in which the "old" Thiem could be seen again.

Thiem traveled to Gstaad in 2015 as the tournament winner

Incidentally, of the old acquaintances that Dominic Thiem beat on the way to winning the tournament in Gstaad in 2015, Delbonis is the only one who is also in the current edition: Pablo Carreno Busta, the quarter-final opponent, is engaged in Hamburg, Feliciano Lopez and David Goffin are taking the week off.

But there is still a parallel for Thiem: seven years ago he traveled to Gstaad from a tournament at sea level. As a tournament winner of Umag.

Here is the individual tableau in Gstaad