Rublev is eliminated as the Australian Open’s former finalist Thiem

Dominic Thiem, the 2020 finalist in Australia Open, lost in the first round of Tuesday’s tournament. He was defeated by Andrey Rublev, the fifth seed in the Australian Open. This setback came after he returned from injury.

While Russia’s Rublev held a clear advantage in terms of current ranking, Thiem had a far greater Grand Slam pedigree as the US Open champion in 2020. He is also a two-time finalist at Roland Garros.

However, the Austrian ranked 98 was outplayed in 36 Celsius heat (96.8 Fenheit) as he continued his recovery from a wrist injury that kept the Austrian off court for nine seasons.

Rublev won John Cain Arena by 6-3,6-4,6-2 — his first win of the year, after two defeats at warm-up events. He will next face either Australia’s Max Purcell, or Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.

“First and foremost, I am happy that I was capable of getting through in straight set. Rublev, who reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne in 2021 after winning four titles last year, said that it was extremely hot today and that he can now save energy.

“When you play against Dominic it’s never easy.

“We are good friends, and I know that he is going through difficult times. I wish him all the luck to get back to the level where he belongs.

Thiem’s return to the tour has been positive. He rose from the bottom 350 to reach the top 100 after his semi-final runs at Antwerp, Gijon, and Gstaad.

The match was their seventh, but it was their first Grand Slam meeting. Rublev is now leading at 5-2.

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