Thiago Monteiro picked up an important win in his career against Austria’s Dominic Thiem (6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2)) in his first round match at the Rio Open. The Brazilian is a competitor of Cameron Norrie or Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.
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tournament results
An interesting duel as the main prize of the Rio Open on the first day. Dominic Thiem He arrived to continue this week-long run in South America, aiming to win games and gain confidence on a tour that has given him very good results years ago. The Austrian was eliminated in the second round in Buenos Aires and now comes to Rio de Janeiro, where he won the title in the 2017 edition.
The opponent in his debut was the top Brazilian in the ATP rankings, experienced Thiago Monteiro. The Fortaleza native was one of four local players in Rio de Janeiro, and the current dream is to be the first Brazilian to win the Rio Open in tournament history. A poor start to the season for Monteiro as he lost all the games he played in the final ranks.
Monteiro eliminated the former champion
The start of the game was going completely in Monteiro’s favor, who was more content with the conditions against Thiem, who still couldn’t compete at the same level. After a while, a local player went on the scoreboard to everyone’s surprise for a 5-0 lead. Showed a lot of solid serve, the Brazilian secured the first set with an overwhelming 6-1.
A necessary change of venue for the former world number three for the second round, as if he continued on this path, he would quickly say goodbye to the tournament. Thiem made a key break to gain confidence and take the lead in this set. With the support of the local crowd, Monteiro had two chances in the critical game at 5-3, but he was unable to capitalize on them. Dominic took advantage and pumped his fist to celebrate his favorable 6-3 lead to stretch the game.
Everything was very smooth and the tension was building. Thiem had break points in his rival’s first two service rounds, but the local tennis player held firm. With no breaks in the final series, the story had to be defined in the tiebreak. In the draw, a clearly better start from the Brazilian, who takes a fundamental advantage. In the end, Monteiro sealed his victory with a decisive 7-2.
