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By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday May 6, 2021


Dominic Thiem is quickly finding his form on the red clay in Madrid, while Daniil Medvedev still can’t locate his.

Tennis Express


Thiem saved a set point with a magnificent backhand and rolled to a 7-6(7), 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur on Thursday to book a spot in the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open in his first event back after a six-week hiatus.

The fourth-ranked Austrian has erased any doubts about his form and fitness with two solid straight set wins in Madrid. He says he feels that De Minaur was a perfect opponent to help him find his timing and consistency.


“I think it was pretty good match from both of us, I would say,” he said. “For me it was perfect because obviously he's first of all [he is] a top player, and second of all he also likes to play longer rallies. There were some good, long rallies. I was many, many times out of breath. It was perfect for me to get back a little bit the match rhythm, to run down a lot of balls.”

Thiem said a close contest was the perfect recipe to help him increase his match toughness.

“Also the score was super close, no?” he said. “I mean, if I don't make that backhand passing shot at set point down, it's a different story. It was a match that had everything. As it's my first tournament, as it's my way back, a buildup for the next week, it was great for me.”

Theim will face either Andrey Rublev or John Isner in the quarterfinals on Friday at Madrid.

Down Goes Medvedev

After a rare win on the clay to snap a six-match losing streak on the surface on Wednesday, Daniil Medvedev reverted to the mean—and suffered another tough loss, this one at the hands of Chile’s Cristian Garin.

Garin, seeded 16, pulled away in the third set to notch a 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-1 victory over the No.2-seeded Russian. Medvedev drops to 11-19 lifetime on the clay with his loss, while Garin improves to 52-25 on the surface.


Garin will face either Matteo Berrettini or Federico Delbonis in the last eight at Madrid.

“It means a lot,” said Garin of his second career Top 5 win. “It’s so nice to play with the crowd again—I feel the difference. I’m very happy the way that I played today, it was a very tough match for me, I think one of the best wins of my career, so I’m very happy.”


 

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