[Budadiii]

Thiem won this match by scrambling and defending superbly. Cilic was the aggressor and constantly had his foot on the gas pedal, and the conditions were better for him than Thiem, hopefully he settles in and it will be a bit sunnier and lighter.

As tough as the draw is, he should still be a lock for R4, first off. Hopefully not lose too many sets until then.

Cilic was quite good and would have gone further obviously had he not drawn Thiem here, a few too many simple mistakes in leading spots and at net, as we've come accustomed of him.

 

[just1ce]

as expected,in 3.

 

[Saraya!]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1310564303297273857

 

[-Dominator-]

Thiem in all-black, amazing, looked like Mike Tyson on court. No surprise he dispatched his opponent in the quickest fashion possible.

 

[Rrobba]

Great to see Thiem win this in straight sets. It was a tough draw for a first round even if Cilic isn't the player he used to be, and players often suffer early losses after hitting career high acievements like Dominic did by winning the US Open 2 weeks ago. Winning this first match comfortably against a big name will hopefully set the tone for his tournament and indicate that he has avoided that emotional hangover. He's got a difficult draw moving forward, but if he makes the semis I think he has a shot at defeating Rafa here for once given (1) His newfound confidence as a slam champion and (2) Conditions being colder and wetter this year which Nadal doesn't like as much.

There was a different air about Thiem today. He wasn't playing his best claycourt tennis, and yet I never felt like he was going to lose - he turned on the gas at just the right moments, and that's exactly what made the big 3 become what they are.

 

[guitarra]

Dominic a bit rusty in his first official clay match after the break but still managed to score a straight set win vs a very dangerous opponent for the first round in a slam. Couldn’t ask for more really. Hopefully he’ll play himself into the beast mode and by R4 he’ll be firing on all cylinders.

Well done, champ! 1 down, 6 to go!!!!!! 💪 💪 💪

 

[Han Solo]

Really tough first round draw. Great to get it done in three. Here's hoping Thiem, Zverev and more of the 'new' guys (Tsitsipas, Medvedev, etc.) go far and challenge the top two. It will certainly add some spice.

 

[ballbashingmug]

Sure felt like I was watching the best player in the world today.

 

[The Federest]

Banana skin deftly sidestepped. Such a vicious first-round opponent, but Dominic negotiated the challenge like a champ. Dominic's level was very good considering it's his first competitive clay-court match since the USO. Cilic was pretty good.

Will be interesting as the tourney progresses to see if coming to the net proves to be effective against Dominic and Rafa in these conditions. At times, Cilic came forward with good results.

Dominic's draw is insane, but at least Sock should be manageable in R2.

 

[jj52480]

Thiem looked good, to me; especially in the wake of that insane Final 2 weeks ago. He looks confident. And saving energy for later rounds is obviously so important when facing who he'll have to face.

 

[Djoker]

Cilic was atrocious, no need to further analyze.
He could have won 1st set as he had 3 BPs at 4-4... made then 2 stupid UEs.
He is a shamble of the player he was even years ago, not the champ from 2014 or '16 (Cincy).

That's all needs to be said of this match, Thiem was adjusting himself but looking sharp so far.

 

[leng jai]

Is there anything more shameful than a ballbashee grinding 4m behind the baseline in long sleeves?

 

[DjokoKing]

Disgusting.

 

[Kilban]

Impressed that Thiem managed to pass the hurdle in straights. A sign of his new maturity and authority after the USO?

 

[devision2002]

Very convincing first match by Dominic. He was just too good in the defence in the first 2 sets, and with the lead at the scoreboard, he started to strike a bit harder in the third set where at some point he won 3 consecutive backhand winners in one game, that was the best moment of the match. Cilic tried his best, was quite good actually but Dominic was too much for him.
1 done, 6 to go

 

[Burrow]

Thiem won this match by scrambling and defending superbly. Cilic was the aggressor and constantly had his foot on the gas pedal, and the conditions were better for him than Thiem, hopefully he settles in and it will be a bit sunnier and lighter.

As tough as the draw is, he should still be a lock for R4, first off. Hopefully not lose too many sets until then.

Cilic was quite good and would have gone further obviously had he not drawn Thiem here, a few too many simple mistakes in leading spots and at net, as we've come accustomed of him.

I can't agree with that. I was just saying that normally when players fall like Marin Cilic has for a relatively prolonged period, they start thinking about retirement.

He's really a shell of a player. He had absolutely no confidence.

Of course, due to his aggressive nature, he's still going to play some good shots, but they don't hide the fact he was a disaster. Choking, no confidence, clueless tactics - all punished by someone at the height of their confidence. Quite the contrast.

 

[Orka_n]

Cilic was moving better than in his previous match, but still not nearly good enough to trouble a player of Thiem's caliber.

Solid stuff from Domi, was challenged a bit but not too much. Nice start to the tournament.

 

[Budadiii]

Cilic was atrocious, no need to further analyze.
He could have won 1st set as he had 3 SPs... made then 2 stupid UEs.
He is a shamble of the player he was even years ago, not the champ from 2014 or '16 (Cincy).

That's all needs to be said of this match, Thiem was adjusting himself but looking sharp so far.

What are you even talking about?

He won 4 games

 

[Djoker]

What are you even talking about?

He won 4 games

I corrected my post, see above

 

[DinnerWarrior]

Tim didn't show much magic but he was solid like a champion and battered Cilic into plenty unforced errors. Good for the first round.