Dominic Thiem emerged victorious from a great battle against American JJ Wolf in three sets (6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(6)) in their match for the first round of the ATP Winston Salem. The Austrian will face Grigor Dimitrov, the tournament’s top favorite.
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Thiem takes the battle
Better start to the match for Wolf, who although he had to face a break point in the first game, then converted a break in favor to take a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard. Thiem was imprecise, without meeting his level and already starting to get frustrated when he was outmatched by his rival. However, Domi would recover the break so that the score takes an equality, not far from reality in the development. History was going to be defined in a tiebreak, and there Wolf was superior to win it 7-5 and take the first set.
A tense atmosphere for the second set, with a Thiem who knew the urgency of raising his level to stay in the fight for the match. The Austrian was the one who now struck first to take the lead 5-3, but Wolf immediately returned to the path of absolute parity. The panorama painted for a new tiebreaker, but Dominic knew how to press at the right time and won the second set 7-5.
The defining set began with a similar trend, and just a few details could turn the match to one side or the other. With Thiem leading the score 3-2, the rain appeared in Winston Salem. After a two-hour hiatus, the action returned, with a quick break from Dominic. But contrary to expectations, the American recovered the break in the next game. Everything would culminate in a final tiebreak. Over there, Thiem saved two match points in a tiebreaker worthy of this match, and sealed the victory with a final 8-6.
