"It paid off": Dominic Thiem enjoys first ATP match win of 2024 in Estoril

On Monday, Dominic Thiem secured his first win in an ATP draw this season at the Millennium Estoril Open.

In doing so, the 2020 US Open champion took a positive first step with testing his troubled right wrist. Thiem fought off Maximilian Marterer, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-4, to win his opener in two hours and 14 minutes.

After trading breaks to open the third set, the Austrian secured the decisive advantage at 2-2 when he pulled out a terrific drop shot, lob combination to set up three break points and subsequently broke at love after the left-hander mistimed a backhand. An overhead winner capped the victorious effort from Thiem.

“I came here quite early to prepare for the tournament. It paid off,” Thiem said during his on-court interview. “It was a great match, great first set. Second set, Max started to play way better and it became a very open match, a great battle.”

The former world No. 3 revealed last week that “minor inflammation” had resurfaced in his wrist. The original injury occurred in June 2021 at the Mallorca Championships and was the primary reason for Thiem's nine-month absence that followed.

A quarterfinalist here a year ago, Thiem looks to match that result when he takes on lucky loser Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman moved into the main draw when fourth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina withdrew due to a dental infection.

Last year’s finalist Miomir Kecmanovic fell to Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-1, 7-5. Kecmanovic, who reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open, has now dropped four consecutive matches.

Two of Bautista Agut’s 11 career titles have come on clay, including his most recent triumph at 2022 Kitzbuhel.