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Dominic Thiem snapped a five-match losing streak with a comeback victory against fellow Austrian Sebastian Ofner in the opening round of the Estoril Open. Thiem recorded just his second match win of the 2023 season with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Tuesday.
The former World No. 3's only other win so far this season came against Alex Molcan at the Argentina Open in February. After opening-round exits at both Indian Wells and Miami, Thiem is now back to winning ways as he returns to his most favored surface, clay.
Speaking after the crucial victory, the current World No. 111 expressed his sheer delight.
"I'm happy and very important win for me," Dominic Thiem said in his post-match on-court interview.
Thiem also shared his thoughts on facing compatriot Ofner, admitting that it is always challenging to play against a good friend and someone with whom he practiced during the off-season.
"Never easy to play someone you like off the court as well and you've practiced (with) a lot during the off-season. No surprises between us," Thiem added.
The 2020 US Open champion will now face rising star and world No. 39 Ben Shelton, who is playing in his first tour-level clay-court tournament. The winner of that match could face 4th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals and top seed Casper Ruud in the semifinals.
Dominic Thiem is confident of making progress after another setback with form
Dominic Thiem recently expressed optimism regarding his future on the ATP tour, saying that he is focused on step-by-step progress and that he is confident of returning to his best, as he aims to regain lost form. Thiem shared his thoughts after suffering another first-round exit this season at the Miami Open.
"At the moment, it's all about the small steps in my process. Step by step, I will work my way forward," Thiem stated.
Thiem will aim to make the most of his experience on clay and gain inspiration from his past results on the surface, as he aims to climb back up the rankings. The Austrian, who suffered a terrible run during the 2022 clay-court season, will now look to make a few deep runs on the surface this year as he has very few points to defend over the next two months. Thiem is a two-time finalist at the French Open, reaching the summit clash in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
