Thiem gets first tour-level win since coming back from wrist injury

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem had lost six tour-level matches including a first-round loss at the French Open since his comeback from a wrist injury.

FILE PHOTO: Dominic Thiem.

Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem beat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (5) in first round of the ATP250 event in Bastad, Sweden on Tuesday.

This is the Austrian’s first tour-level win since his return to professional tennis in March this year after sitting out for nine months due to a wrist injury sustained at the 2021 Mallorca Championships.

Thiem will next face fourth-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut,  who received a bye into the second round.

"It's a long time. My last victory on the ATP Tour was in Rome in 2021, it feels like a different world somehow," Thiem said in an on-court interview.

"Many, many things happened. It was tough, but it was also a very good experience I think, for life in general and for my tennis. I'm so happy that I got this first victory here today."

World number 339 Thiem, who had reached a career-high ranking of 3 in March 2020, lost to Argentine Pedro Cachin in the first round of a Challenger event in Marbella in his first match post the injury. The 28-year-old then suffered six straight defeats on the main tour including a first-round exit at Roland Garros, where he had previously reached the final in 2018 and 2019.

Thiem recently beat compatriot Filip Misolic 6-4, 7-5 in the opening round of a Challenger event in Salzburg to get his first win at any level since the comeback.

(With inputs from Reuters)