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Dominic Thiem booked his place in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Estoril Open by beating eighth seed Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-2 in the second round.
The Austrian was on a five-match losing streak prior to the ATP 250 event and found himself a set down in his tournament opener against compatriot Sebastian Ofner. However, he fought back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 before defeating Shelton to book his place in the quarterfinals of a tournament for the very first time this season.
Speaking in his on-court interview after the win, Thiem admitted that the conditions in Estoril today were well suited for his game and expressed his elation over reaching the quarterfinals.
"Yeah, the higher the ball bounces, the better for me. Today was great, was warm weather, not windy. I like the balls and the courts are also pretty fast, they are dry. So, it's taking the spin very well and it suits my game pretty good. I'm happy to play in the quarterfinals tomorrow," Dominic Thiem said.
The Austrian was also asked how far along he was in the process of returning to his best. He responded by stating that while results weren't coming his way at the start of the season, he believed that he was playing better and better.
The 29-year-old also revealed that he had a short-term goal of reaching the main draw of the upcoming French Open, a goal towards which reaching the quarterfinals in Estoril was a good first step.
"I am playing better and better, just the results in the first quarter of the year were not there. But this part of the season, I love it, European clay-court season. I have a big short-term goal to reach the main draw of the French Open. Every match win, all the points are helping me, so quarterfinals is a good first step," Dominic Thiem said.
Dominic Thiem will face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Quentin Halys in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open
After beating Ben Shelton, Dominic Thiem will next face either Roberto Bautista Agut or Quentin Halys in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open (at the time of writing).
The Austrian has already faced Bautista Agut six times previously, with the latter leading 4-2 in the head-to-head. On the other hand, he is yet to play against Halys on the ATP Tour so far. If Thiem wins his quarterfinal encounter, he will take on either top seed Casper Ruud or fifth seed Sebastian Baez in the semifinals of the Estoril Open.
