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Continuing to show improvement on his comeback trail, Dominic Thiem reached just his second semifinal of the season at the Gijon Open on Friday, much to the delight of his fans. Thiem smashed some of his vintage one-handed backhand winners en route to his 6-4, 6-3 win over fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo.
The former US Open champion moved closer to the top-100 ranking, courtesy of the win. For just the second time this season, he is only two victories away from his first ATP title since 2020. Thiem has dropped just one set in three matches so far at the 2022 Gijon Open and has won two 'bagel sets.'
The 29-year-old's latest bit of success in his bid to return to the top left tennis fans thrilled, particularly due to the quality of tennis on display from the former World No. 3.
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"My God!!! Prime Dominic Thiem might be back," one fan wrote on Twitter, in reaction to Thiem's quarterfinal win on Friday.
"I feel like Dominic Thiem is going to reach another major final next year," wrote another fan.
Some fans also expressed their excitement regarding Thiem's future on tour and hoped to see the Austrian star compete for bigger titles in the 2023 season.
"Looking forward to the 2023 version of Dominic Thiem," read another tweet.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Thiem's quarterfinal win at the Gijon Open and his improved form:
Thiem will return to the top 100 of the ATP rankings by winning the Gijon Open title and next faces top seed Andrey Rublev in Saturday's semifinal.
"The semi-finals at an ATP event is helping a lot" - Dominic Thiem after quarterfinal win at Gijon Open
Dominic Thiem, meanwhile, has revealed that he has been feeling in control of his game since the start of the Gijon Open. Speaking in his on-court interview after the match, the Austrian player stated that making the latter stages of any tournament he plays on tour these days is crucial to his main goal of climbing up the rankings.
"From the first match on, I have felt great on this court," Thiem said, according to the ATP. "A lot of control. A super nice atmosphere and I have enjoyed playing a lot since Monday. I am super happy that I am still in the tournament at the weekend and I can play another match. It is very important for me as I am trying to climb up the rankings. The semi-finals at an ATP [Tour] event is helping a lot."
Dominic Thiem also made the semifinals of the Swiss Open in Gstaad in July, but fell to Matteo Berrettini at the last four stage. The 2020 US Open title was Thiem's last ATP title before a range of injury issues hit him.
