By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Top-seeded Dominic Thiem roared through eight of the final nine games dismissing Marton Fucsovics, 7-5, 6-1, to roll into the Hamburg quarterfinals for the second straight year.
Photo credit: Hamburg European Open Facebook
Dominic Thiem is on a tear in his return to red clay.
The top-seeded Thiem roared through eight of the final nine games dismissing Marton Fucsovics, 7-5, 6-1, to roll into the Hamburg quarterfinals.
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The two-time Roland Garros runner-up reached his sixth quarterfinal of the season.
The 50th-ranked Fucsovics fought off eight break points in the opening set, including saving a set point on a second serve-and-volley, eventually holding for 5-all.
A persistent Thiem continued applying pressure. It paid off in the 12th game as Fucsovics, who resorted to a successful underhand serve then apologized for it at one point, scattered a forehand to end the 70-minute opening set.
Collecting the first set empowered Thiem, who tore through five straight games to start the second set.
The fourth-ranked Austrian won 26 of 28 first-serve points and saved the only break point he faced in the opening game, improving to 25-1 on the season.
Thiem, who scored his 250th career win over Pablo Cuevas yesterday, will face Andrey Rublev for a spot in the final four.
Russian Rublev rallied past Casper Ruud, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Thiem has won both prior meetings vs. Rublev, including a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 victory in their most recent encounter on the red clay of Monte Carlo last year.
Jeremy Chardy continued to fight off fellow Frenchmen. Chardy conquered his doubles partner this week, Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (5), 7-5, advancing to his second straight clay quarterfinal.
Chardy, who edged fifth-seeded Frenchman Benoit Paire in his opener, will play either defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili or Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero in the quarterfinals.