Dominic Thiem with a false start to the new season
Dominic Thiem has lost his first match of the new season. The 25-year-old was ranked 11th at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi. Karen Khachanov 6: 7 (3), 3: 6.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Dec 27, 2018, 05:50 pm
Thiem did not get into the match well, Khachanov managed the first break to zero and finally the 3-1 lead, but Thiem managed to equalize. Curious: After the 4: 3 for Khachanov first broke the Russian, then Thiem again - to zero. However, the Lichtenwörther weakened in the tie-break.
Also in set two, Khachanov quickly went 3-0 up front, and even though Thiem was able to get his serve through without problems, it was no longer enough. The number eight in the ATP ranking never came to a breakball in set two - Khachanov served at the end without losing any points.
The 22-year-old thus remains a clean sheet against Thiem: Already at the ATP tournament in Paris-Bércy at the end of the 2018 season, he had won against Thiem.
Dominic Thiem against Chung on Friday
The invitation tournament in the United Arab Emirates has been taking place since 2009, with South African Kevin Anderson winning last year. He also got off to a good start this year and won his first round match against Hyeon Chung 6: 7 (4), 6: 2, 6: 1.
Thiem will face Chung on Friday afternoon, while Khachanov can play against Novak Djokovic. Anderson plays against Rafael Nadal.
Serena and Venus Williams meet on Thursday evening.