ATP Vienna: Grigor Dimitrov downs Stefanos Tsitsipas. Dominic Thiem shines to set..

The defending champion and home favorite Dominic Thiem is through to the quarter-final in Vienna following an impressive performance. The Austrian took down Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-2 in 65 minutes, dropping ten points on serve and delivering three breaks to seal the deal in no time. Thiem had 14 winners and 12 unforced errors, while Garin counted to 25 unforced mistakes, unable to match the rival's pace or defend the second serve more efficiently. Settling into a fine rhythm right from the start, Dominic held at 15 in the first game and grabbed an early break a few minutes later after a terrible forehand from the Chilean. The Austrian closed the third game with a service winner and held at love two games later to open a 4-1 gap. Serving in game six, Cristian saved two break points to remain within one break deficit, not doing much on the return in the next one as Dominic held at love to extend the advantage. Serving for the set at 5-3, Thiem held at 30 to bring the opener home after 32 minutes, hoping for more of the same in set number two.

Both players produced four comfortable holds at the beginning of the second set, and it was all about Thiem in the remaining games. Garin hit a double fault at 2-2 to give serve away, allowed Thiem to held at love a few minutes later and lost serve again to find himself 5-2 down. Dominic sealed the deal with a service winner in game nine, moving over the top and setting the quarter-final clash against an in-form Russian Andrey Rublev. In the ATP Finals champions' battle, Grigor Dimitrov ousted the 3rd seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours and 13 minutes, avenging the Roland Garros defeat from a couple of weeks ago.

Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov have remained on title course in Vienna.

It was one of the finest performances from the Bulgarian in 2020, firing 36 winners and 27 unforced errors and never losing serve to mount the pressure on the other side. Tsitsipas claimed a tight opener where nothing could separate them, losing ground in sets two and three for the 11th loss of the season.

There were no deuces or break chances in the opening set, with two rivals producing one comfortable hold after another to set the tie break after 41 minutes. Grigor forged a 5-0 advantage but lost ground after that, allowing Tsitsipas to level the score at 5-5 with a volley winner and steal the breaker following a forehand mistake from Dimitrov in the 12th point. Starting all over after a massive blow, the Bulgarian served well in set number two, securing a break at 2-2 with a volley winner and holding at 30 in game ten to wrap up the set and force a decider. There, Tsitsipas hit a double fault in the fifth game to lose serve on Dimitrov's fourth chance, who saved two break points in the next one with service winners to open a 4-2 gap. Returning at 5-3, Grigor seized another break to seal the deal and advance into the quarters, his fourth of the season. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/34D98Dl