Challenger Salzburg, Round of 16, Thursday, 07.07.2022
While the tennis world looks forward to Wimbledon, where the new champion will be crowned in a few days, the Challenger tournaments continue at the same time. Or to put it another way: Dominic Thiem finally wants to be successful again!
He recently enjoyed his first victory since his injury, and now he wants to follow up with another one.
Dominic Thiem and the long, hard road back to the top of the world – this story is far from over. The Austrian has had a difficult few months and it will take him some time before he is back to his old self.
His triumph at the US Open in 202 is unforgettable; he was a regular in the world’s top 5. In the meantime, the demands are different, at the Challenger in Salzburg he wants to get through the last 16.
Thiem, still ranked 346 in the world, struggled for months but simply could not win in the main draw. In Wimbledon, he did not even try to qualify. But on Tuesday he FINALLY managed to win once again.
In front of his fans, he managed a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 win over compatriot Filip Misolic. Not a brilliant performance, but all that counts for Thiem at the moment is to fight his way into the matches. How the successes come about is secondary.
After 419 days, the Viennese was finally able to cheer again. At 2:5 in the second set, he fought off a set point and came back incredibly strong. It was precisely these comeback qualities that reminded us of the old Thiem of 2020/21.
On Thursday, however, he will face a much stronger opponent, especially as Facundo Bagnis is known as a specialist on clay. Thiem knows: Bagnis is a player who scratches the top 100, that will be difficult.
The two have never played each other, but curiously enough the Austrian is the favourite in this match. 1.95 to 1.75 on average, the differences are only marginal.
For Facundo Bagnis, the opening match in Salzburg went according to plan, but ended earlier than the Argentinean would have wished. At 6-2, his opponent Facundo Diaz Acosta had to retire.
Is it a bad omen that the next opponent will be an Austrian? In Wimbledon, Bagnis had lost to Dennis Novak in the first round 6-7, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6.
Bagnis simply doesn’t feel comfortable on grass, so it’s good that he now has his favourite surface again. The 32-year-old does not lack experience, having reached the final at his last Challenger.
At the beginning of April he collected a title in Pereira, since then the Argentinean has been waiting for a really strong result. In Salzburg he is seeded seventh, so he is definitely one of the favourites.
My Bagnis Thiem Tip
Can Dominic Thiem step up and win a second match? His start in Salzburg was a bit slow, but I could see in my analysis that the fight and take qualities are getting better.
With Facundo Bagnis he now meets the seventh best player of the tournament, a specialist on grass. Even if Thiem would like to have another success, in my eyes Bagnis is the decisive tick stronger. That’s why I’m betting:
Bagnis wins against Thiem!
