ATP Tournament in Kitzbühel, Round of 16, Wednesday, 27.07.2022
Can he actually tackle another title back home? Dominic Thiem is getting better from match to match, and in Kitzbühel the Austrian is hoping for his best result since the long break.
On Wednesday afternoon, he will have to play a compatriot in the round of 16.
In my Ofner Thiem tip, I reveal why my bet calls for a win for the former world No. 3!
Eighth finals, quarter finals, semi-finals – and in Kitzbühel? Dominic Thiem’s path is finally leading in one direction again, upwards! The long time of suffering seems to be over. The results are getting better and better.
In Gstaad, he failed to reach the final against Matteo Berrettini. Clearly, but also in this match you could see that he is gaining more and more confidence.
It is clear that he now also wants to convince his audience. His start was already very promising, the Viennese came to a clear 6-4, 6-2 against Alexander Shevchenko. He allowed one break chance, but was a bit sloppy with his opportunities.
He made use of four of 13, so there is still room for improvement. The 2019 champion knows that if the form curve holds, a lot is possible in Kitzbühel. “Every other match is a gift,” said the 28-year-old.
In 2019, when he triumphed in Kitzbühel, his only encounter was also against compatriot Sebastian Ofner. Also in the round of 16, where Thiem won 6-3, 6-2, whether it will be similarly clear-cut this Wednesday?
The German betting providers are already positioning themselves pro Thiem, but also leave themselves room for surprises. 1.25 to 3.70, Ofner is definitely given a chance to maybe win a set.
A 1.90 can be snatched up if you bet on the underdog winning a set. The world number 235 knows that even though he is only 36 places behind Thiem, his opponent is on the rise.
The 26-year-old had to start his way in Kitzbühel already in the qualifying, where he prevailed in tough matches. 7-6, 7-5, it was already close in the 1st round against Pavel Kotov.
He followed this up with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Vitaly Sachko. His comeback in the first round was very strong, where he lost the first set 1-6 to Richard Gasquet. Ofner showed nerves of steel, won twice 7-5, 7-5 and was rightly celebrated by the crowd.
Ofner is rarely to be found at major tournaments, but when he does go far, it is usually at Challengers. That he now has to play against a compatriot is not necessarily an advantage.
At the Tampere Open a few days ago, he lost his second match against Gerald Melzer, and he would like to avoid that now against Dominic Thiem. By the way, he gave away twelve break chances against Gasquet, and he can’t afford to do that on Wednesday.
My Ofner Thiem tip
Will the fans side with Dominic Thiem despite there being two Austrians on court at the same time? The favourite doesn’t want to let anything go to waste and is keen to confirm his performance from the match against Shevchenko.
In my analysis I could only find positive things about the former world number 3, who is getting stronger in all areas. Sebastian Ofner will do well, but in my eyes he is not strong enough to really beat Thiem.
My tip is therefore: Thiem wins with less than 28.5 games!
