NEW YORK: Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem continued to work his way quietly through the US Open draw yesterday, easing into the fourth round with a 7-5 6-3 6-4 win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
Playing on the power-packed side of the draw that includes former US Open champions Roger Federer and world number one Rafa Nadal, Thiem has stayed out of the spotlight as he reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the third time in four years.
Twice a semi-finalist on French Open clay, Thiem was slow to find his footing on the New York hardcourts as Mannarino took early control at 5-3. But the Austrian flicked a switch to reel off seven straight games, taking the opener and a 3-0 lead in the second.
Two early breaks in the third and Thiem made sure he would be able to celebrate his 24th birthday today with a win to extend his domination over the Frenchman to 6-0. Next up for Thiem will be the 11th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut or 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. Germany’s Phillip Kohlschreiber eliminated Australia’s John Millman 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.
Gael Monfils suffered yet another injury as he retired from his third-round match against Belgian ninth seed David Goffin.
The Frenchman had dropped the first set 7-5 before losing interest in the match in the second as he appeared to suffer from a leg injury.
The 18th seed quickly fell 5-0 behind, finally requesting the trainer on court for a right thigh massage. He won one game before throwing in the towel.
March
Del Potro reached the fourth round again.
The No. 24 seed beat 11th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in a little more than 2 hours.
A lexandr Dolgopolov of Ukrain routed Viktor Troicki 6-1, 6-0, 6-4 in a match that lasted just 1 hour, 22 minutes. Dolgopolov was involved in a match recently in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that’s under scrutiny because of unusual betting patterns.
Dolgopolov last reached the fourth round in 2011, when he lost to No. 1 Novak Djokovic. His best result in a Grand Slam tournament is the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier that year.
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