The gate to the semifinals at the Estoril Open remains closed. Austria’s tennis star Dominic Thiem had to admit defeat to French Quentin Halys following 78 minutes 1: 6, 4: 6 in the round of eight of the clay court tournament. For the 29-year-old from Lichtenwörther, who will move up from 111th to 105th place in the world rankings, things will continue from Sunday at the Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo.
Thiem received a wild card for the classic in the principality, his opening opponent is certain. It’s a Frenchman once more – namely old master Richard Gasquet (36 years, ATP No. 42).
Thiem got off to a bad start once morest Halys, number 80 in the ATP ranking, the 2020 US Open champion lost his service games to 1: 3 and 1: 5. In the second set, the winner of 17 ATP tournaments got in better shape and kept the game open for long stretches.
Ultimately, a break decided the 2:3. Thiem didn’t use any of his two break opportunities and only scored 22 percent of the points in Halys’ strong first service, who is in a semifinal for the first time on the ATP World Tour.
Author
Alexander Zambarloukos
Sports Editor
Alexander Zambarloukos
