Thiem eases into second round at Australian Open

Monday, 8 February 2021 10:02

Dominic Thiem overcame an early wobble before overpowering Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Third seed Thiem was broken twice in the first set and had to fight off a set point at 6-5 before rallying to take the tiebreak at Rod Laver Arena.

The Austrian, beaten in a five-set final by Novak Djokovic last year, found his rhythm and ended up racing to the finish, breaking Kukushkin to love to seal the match.

US Open champion Thiem will meet the winner of Dominik Koepfer and Hugo Dellien for a place in the third round.

More from Sports News

India's Gukesh becomes youngest world chess champion

Teenager Gukesh Dommaraju of India became the youngest chess world champion by beating defending champion Ding Liren of China on Thursday in a dramatic turn of events in the last game of a 14-game match in Singapore.
Saudi Arabia confirmed as 2034 World Cup hosts

Saudi Arabia will host the FIFA World Cup in 2034 while the 2030 edition will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with one-off matches in three South American countries.
FIFA to confirm World Cup hosts, Saudi set to stage 2034 tournament

FIFA is set to confirm the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 men's World Cups on Wednesday, with a three-continent, six-nation bid led by Morocco, Spain and Portugal to be awarded the former and the latter going to Saudi Arabia.
Scottie Scheffler named PGA Tour player of the year

Following arguably the most dominant year of golf since Tiger Woods was in his prime, Scottie Scheffler received the PGA Tour Player of the Year award on Tuesday night.
MacIntyre, Hatton and Scott confirmed for Hero Dubai Desert Classic

European Ryder Cup stars Robert MacIntyre and Tyrrell Hatton, and Major winner Adam Scott are the latest stars to confirm their return to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, while PGA TOUR winner Akshay Bhatia will make his debut at the Emirates Golf Club from January 16-19.