Thiem too strong for Medvedev in Barcelona final
Dominic Thiem rounded out an impressive week at the Barcelona Open with a straight-sets victory over Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.
Having knocked out 11-time champion Rafael Nadal in the previous round, Thiem rallied from a sluggish start in the opening set to prevail 6-4 6-0 after one hour and 13 minutes on court.
Medvedev claimed an early break to race into a 3-0 lead, yet the Russian struggled on his own serve after that, losing 12 of the next 13 games.
The seventh seed was not helped by an injury to his right shoulder that required medical treatment late in a competitive first set, though Thiem showed little mercy by sweeping through the second in a hurry.
The Austrian sealed the win with a clinical volley at the net, swiftly putting Medvedev out of his misery to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Thomas Muster, who won the tournament twice in his career.
OUR CHAMPION pic.twitter.com/lyFmzZT1UR— Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (@bcnopenbs) April 28, 2019
“To win this tournament is such an honour for me,” Thiem said during the on-court presentation ceremony.
“First of all, it is one of the best [events] during the year – I really love to come here.
“Also, only the best players in the history of tennis have won here. Rafa, of course, 11 times, and Thomas Muster twice, which makes it very special to me to be the second Austrian to lift this trophy.”
Thiem joins Roger Federer as the only players to have won two events on the ATP Tour this season – his other triumph came at Indian Wells in March.
