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Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Dominic Thiem vs Joao Sousa
Date: October 10, 2022.
Tournament: Gijon Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Gijon, Spain.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $612,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Dominic Thiem vs Joao Sousa preview
Dominic Thiem will face Joao Sousa in the first round of the Gijon Open on Monday.
The Austrian returned to action during the clay-court season after taking a long break from tennis to recover from a wrist injury. Thiem's best performance so far this season was reaching the semifinals of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini.
After losing to Pablo Carreno Busta in the first round of the US Open, the former World No. 3 reached the last 16 of both the Moselle Open and the Tel Aviv Open, losing to Hubert Hurkacz and Marin Cilic respectively.
Sousa's only title of the season came at the Maharashtra Open in Pune, where he beat Emil Ruusuvuori in the final. The Portuguese also made it to the title clash at the Geneva Open, where he lost to Casper Ruud.
Sousa reached the second round of the US Open before losing to Cameron Norrie in straight sets. He then suffered opening-round exits at the Moselle Open and the Tel Aviv Open.
Dominic Thiem vs Joao Sousa head-to-head
Thiem leads 6-1 in the head-to-head against Sousa. Their last meeting took place in the first round of the 2016 Halle Open, with the Austrian winning 7-5, 6-4.
Dominic Thiem vs Joao Sousa odds
All odds are sourced from BETMGM.
Dominic Thiem vs Joao Sousa prediction
Sousa may be the higher-ranked player, but Thiem's form has been relatively better over the past few months. Hence, the Austrian will be considered the favorite to win the match.
Thiem's backhand is a formidable weapon and is still pretty effective. The Austrian has a pretty decent forehand with a heavy topspin along with a solid first serve. He loves to play aggressively from the back of the court but can also defend well.
Sousa's serve isn't the most effective one out there, so he will rely heavily on his groundstrokes. The Portuguese has a strong forehand and will look to make the most out of it.
Thiem is still far from reaching the kind of form he possessed a couple of years back, but he should be able to defeat Sousa, whose performances have been underwhelming for some time.
Pick: Thiem to win in straight sets.
