ATP Tournament in Gijon, Round of 16, Wednesday, 12.10.2022
They come year after year, the new ATP tournaments on the way to the finals. In 2022, a number of stars have made their way to Gijon to test the form. On Thursday, we deal with an old acquaintance in the round of 16.
One who was once world number 3 and has been fighting his way back up the rankings for a few months now. And lo and behold, he is already favoured again for the next round at Bwin. In my Thiem Giron tip, I now reveal why the Austrian is also in my favour!
The long road back to the top of the world, Dominic Thiem knew from the start what an arduous one it would be. The 2020 US Open champion is nowhere near back to his old self and yet he keeps getting better.
After finally reaching another final (albeit losing) at the Challenger in Rennes about a month ago, he kept at it. The results were not always strong, but here you also have to look at the opponents.
In Metz, for example, he lost 3-6, 4-6 to Hubert Hurkacz, that happens to the best. Then a few weeks ago in Tel Aviv, Thiem proved that he is ready for stronger and stronger opponents.
He beat Laslo Djere in a thriller 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 before facing Marin Cilic. Thiem won the first set in a tiebreak, but was then defeated by the Croatian 2-6, 4-6
A defeat that nevertheless confirmed his belief: “Every match gets better. And that is exactly what we saw in Gijon. Spain seems to suit the Viennese, because his duel against Joao Sousa was like a true demonstration.
6-2, 6-0, how long did Thiem have to wait for such a success! In the meantime, he has fought his way back up to No. 165 in the rankings, and he would like to make a small leap at the end of the season.
It was a good year ago that he met Marcos Giron in Madrid for the first time in his career. Thiem won 6-1, 6-3 and made short work of his opponent. Our bookmakers think odds of 1.40 to 3.00 in Thiem’s favour are reasonable for Wednesday.
Marcos Giron will of course not congratulate Dominic Thiem on his victory before the match, not for nothing is he among the best 65 players in the world. After his disappointing US Open, the American was initially drawn far away from Europe to tournaments.
In San Diego he did more than well, won against Daniel Evans among others and even reached the final in the end. After his defeat against Brandon Nakashima he cancelled his participation in Korea without further ado.
Apparently he recovered well, because in Gijon he started with a great victory against a local hero. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, seeded 8th, was defeated 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 after a strong comeback.
Giron, relatively short at 1.80 metres, has been in consistent form for a few weeks now. Nakashima, Tiafoe, Bautista-Agut and Kyrgios, the opponents who beat him in recent matches, have all been in the top flight.
My Thiem Giron Tip
Dominic Thiem can breathe a sigh of relief: his progress since his comeback is steadily increasing and is no longer a fluke. After the great win against Joao Sousa, he now naturally wants to win against Marcos Giron.
The American is not in a bad mood, he hasn’t lost to a weaker player for a few weeks now. In Gijon he already threw out Albert Ramos-Vinolas. But since I see the momentum on the side of the Austrian, my tip can only be:
Thiem wins 2:0!
