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Austria's Dominic Thiem received roaring applause from the home crowd after winning a tough first-round match against Argentina's Facundo Bagnis at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel on Tuesday.
Thiem advanced to the second round after defeating Bagnis 7-6(3), 7-6(8-6) in a marathon encounter that lasted for two hours and 22 minutes.
The ATP shared a video in which Thiem can be seen enjoying the victory as the home crowd cheers loud and high.
"Feeling the love on home soil. 2019 champ @domithiem edges his way past Bagnis 7-6(3), 7-6(6) in front of a jubilant home crowd in Kitzbuhel," the ATP captioned the video.
This is Thiem's 10th appearance in Kitzbuhel. The 2019 champion crashed out of the Generali Open last year after going down against Yannick Hanfmann in the quarterfinals.
After his win over Facundo Bagnis, Dominic Thiem expressed his joy over the support he received during the match.
"It was another great, great night here in Kitzbuehel. It’s the third time I kicked off the tournament with a night session and all three of them have been legendary. It was not easy with the rain delay but it was an amazing atmosphere with everyone staying. I'm so happy I am through to the second round," he said.
The 2020 US Open winner further reflected on his performance against Bagnis.
"In the first set when we came back from the rain delay I played a very good level and Bagnis kept it up, so it was an even match. I played offensively and finished many points at the net," Dominic Thiem added.
Bagnis broke the Austrian's serve early and took a 4-2 lead in the opening set. Thiem, however, fought back after a rain delay to save a couple of set points to send the set into a tie-break. Thiem then proceeded to secure the tie-break easily.
The Argentine pushed Thiem hard in the second set but the latter hung tight and eventually emerged victorious.
Dominic Thiem's attempt at creating a perfect tennis player
In a recent session conducted by the ATP, Dominic Thiem tried to create a perfect tennis player. The Austrian foremost picked Rafael Nadal's forehand.
"Sometimes it's not that obvious because all his game is so great," Thiem said.
Thiem then picked Novak Djokovic's backhand, Grigor Dimitrov's flexibility, and Nadal's mental toughness before selecting John Isner's serve.
The Austrian concluded by picking Daniil Medvedev's celebration.
"His celebration was iconic when he won the US Open," Thiem added.
