Madrid, Apr 27 (EFE).- The Austrian Dominik Thiem, who became a finalist twice at the Mutua Madrid Open, firmly broke into this edition of the Caja Mágica Masters 1000 with a resounding victory against the British Kyle Edmund, which he won 6-4 and 6-1.
The tennis player from Vienna is step by step towards the competitive level that once placed him among the best on the circuit. Especially on clay. Currently ranked 93rd, he waned due to injuries after clinching, at the 2020 US Open, the first and only Grand Slam title of his career.
It took Thiem an hour and 23 minutes to win back Edmund, whom he had already beaten in Barcelona, also on clay, in 2017. Thiem will be the rival of the fourth seed, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Also a finalist at the Australian Open and twice at Roland Garros, the Austrian has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, reaching the final four in two of the three recent tournaments he has played.
Likewise, the Russian Alexander Shevchenko, coming from the previous phase, beat the American Jeffrey John Wolf without setbacks by a double 6-4. He will face the thirty-first seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka in the second leg.
The Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry also advanced, who had a forceful staging at the Mutua Madrid Open where he made his debut with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to access the second round.
In his first appearance in the Masters 1000 Madrid, the 23-year-old tennis player from La Plata and 59 in the ATP ranking, took 72 minutes to resolve the commitment against a player with more experience on the circuit but with a more effective game on hard courts, who definitely declined after losing the first set.
Etcheverry, who is enjoying his best year as a professional with finals in Houston and Santiago, will face American Frances Tiafoe, ninth seed, in the second round.