Thiem flying high after South American success
Originally published on 29/02/16 00:00
The Austrian put the icing on an impressive month in South America after lifting his fifth career trophy at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel. It was his second title in the space of three weeks but his first on hard courts and a first ATP 500 title.
He climbed to No.14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after beating Bernard Tomic 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3 in the final in Mexico and finishing the month with 13 wins from 14 matches.
"It was unbelievable," he said. "These three weeks have been amazing. Winning my first 500 title and first hard-court title, it was just perfect.
“It was how a final should be, between two young and up-and-coming players. I hope we're going to play many more finals together. Both of us wanted to win so badly and I'm happy I was the one today."
The 22-year-old, who was also victorious in Buenos Aires and reached the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro, has enjoyed a remarkable month, beating two top-10 players in Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer.
Thiem upset nine-time Roland Garros champion Nadal in the semi-finals in Argentina before beating Nicolas Almagro in the final, while he beat Ferrer in the last eight in Rio before losing to Guido Pella in the semi-finals.
Despite being just two months into the season, Thiem is already 18-4 for the season and has collected $587,002 in prize money – he won 36 matches and pocketed $1,052,937 last year.
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