Austrian Dominic Thiem made a successful entry into the US Open, which he won in 2020, by knocking down the No.25 seed, Kazakh Alexander Bublik, in three sets 6-3, 6-2 on Monday , 6-4.
Now 81st in the world, Thiem, who will turn 30 on Sunday, had not passed the first round of a Grand Slam tournament since his elimination in the round of 16 at the Australian Open in 2021.
“It’s been a very long time,” he confirmed on the court after the match, saying he was “very happy” with this victory.
In the next round, he will face Argentinian Pedro Cachin (66th in the world) or American Ben Shelton (47th).
Thiem, former world No.3, had sunk to the depths of the rankings (352nd in 2022) after his victory at the US Open in 2020, followed by a final at the Masters, in particular due to a long battle to overcome a wrist injury.
With this victory on Monday, he confirms his return to form after reaching the final of the Austrian tournament in Kitzbühel in early August, where he lost to Argentinian Sebastian Baez.