Thiem Powers Past Monfils In Buenos Aires

Dominic Thiem booked a spot in his first ATP World Tour final of the season by dominating Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-1 at the Argentina Open on Saturday.

The Austrian, who won the event in 2016, has never lost a match in Buenos Aires (8-0). Thiem also moved to 4-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against the Frenchman. The pair was also set to play in the semi-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open earlier this season before Thiem withdrew due to illness.

The World No. 6 was ruthless throughout the 62-minute match, converting on four of nine break points while not facing a break point on his own serve.

Thiem will face Aljaz Bedene, who downed Federico Delbonis 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 to level their FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1. The victory dashed home fans’ hopes of an Argentine champion.

“I played really well in the first set but I dropped a little bit in the second,” Bedene said. “He played really well in that second set; all credit to him. I’m happy I managed to come through in the third. I’m serving pretty well. Not everything depends on my serve, but it helps.”

The Slovenian will be playing in his third tour-level final (2015 Chennai, 2017 Budapest) and seek his first ATP World Tour title when he meets Thiem on Sunday. Bedene also upset No.5 seed Diego Schwartzman, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

 Watch Live On TennisTV

 Watch Full Match Replays

After splitting the first two sets with Delbonis, Bedene broke the Argentine’s serve in the third to take a 2-1 lead. The World No.51 never looked back, winning the next four games to seal the match in one hour, 55 minutes.

“I just want to do my best tomorrow and see what happens.”

Did You Know?
Thiem can make it four straight years with a tour-level title on Sunday against Bedene.