Christian Garin clears Santiago’s Dominic Thiem to win stellar Chile Open duel

Christian Garin (100th) celebrates winning on his Chile Open debut. He played at a high level and left Dominic Thiem (99th) on the road, in a game that received all the spotlight possible. The northerner is starting a key tournament on his calendar on the right foot. Thursday, he will have to reply against Sebastián Báez (35th).

It was the stellar match of the day on Tuesday and possibly the entire tournament. On the one hand, the most successful national player of the last decade. On the other, a former world number three and winner of the US Open, also managed by Nicolás Massú. Two key characters for this Chile Open. That’s why the stadium was full. When the match started at 8:30 p.m., there was not an empty seat in the central court of San Carlos de Apoquindo.

Fans turned out in droves to follow the two tennis players and it was that despite the applause ringing louder when Garin was the one to win the point, the public never spared the recognition for the ‘Austrian. His relationship with Massú and his role in global tennis, as one of the best outside the Big Four, lead the Chilean fan to have a deep respect for Thiem. Even “darling” could be the word.

That’s why there were no jokes or taunts when things didn’t work out for him in the first set. With a very short game at the start, The 2019 Indian Wells winner lost ground from the start showing once again how difficult it was to return to the level that led him to win his first (and only) Grand Slam in 2020. And Garin took advantage of the situation.

The “Tank” was the complete opposite of its rival. He came in focused and with a superior change. He was still playing powerfully from behind and continuously attacking the backhand of the European, who couldn’t do any damage with this shot. Thus he positioned himself more and more in the partials, to the point of taking the heat almost without problem. It was a 6-2 final, where the Chilean showed variation and consistency. Without a doubt, the highest level he had in the entire South American tour.

Something needed at a key time in the season. The Chile Open may be the step you need to get out of the ranking problems, thinking above all that your last title in South America was won precisely in Santiago in 2021. But Thiem is also on the ropes for points and on the Latin tour he hasn’t found his best version . In Buenos Aires he said goodbye in the round of 16 and in Rio in the first round.

That’s why the one who was born in Wiener Neustadt came out in the second round with a different rhythm. He understood that he had to go get the game and started to rush at the northerner, who for his part kept pressing. He looked for the lines, attacked the body and ended up with a backhand which had been his great weapon in his career, but which had not been decisive for a long time.

One of the most tense moments occurred in the fifth game of the second set. With the Austrian-born serving, the tennis players delivered a game that raised the level of the match considerably. It was a serve where ‘Gago’ had his rival on the ropes, but where he couldn’t secure the break despite having two chances to do so.

In fact, after this game, the best of the game appeared. More power, more equality and above all more long points, with two players who varied between attacks and defenses in a very comfortable way.

And so it all ended in a tie-break. This is where Garin scored one of the biggest wins of his career, perhaps not by ranking, but by context. At home, in front of a former Grand Slam champion and current student of Nicolás Massú, “Gago” clenched his fist. He beat the European 7-2 in the definition , showing that he was always one step ahead of his rival. On Thursday he will try to replicate that and leave Sebastián Baéz in the Argentinian’s way.