WHAT HAPPENED: Dominic Thiem, the No. 6 seed, defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 in the Grandstand in a rain-interruped match that began Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday morning.
Thiem led the match 6-4, 6-1, 1-0 before play was suspended Tuesday. But the 23-year-old Austrian didn't let the rain halt his momentum, winning five of the final six remaining games in the third set in just 20 minutes.
After taking a 3-1 lead in the first set on Tuesday, Thiem dropped the next three games to fall behind 4-3. He then took the next three to close out the set. Following a brief delay to wipe moisture from the court, Thiem, who had a 2-1 lead in the second set at the time, won the next four games for a 2-0 set lead.
On Wednesday, Thiem broke de Minaur twice in the final set, and finished the match winning 70 percent of his break-point chances (7-of-10). He also won 83 percent of points on his serve.
Thiem, who has made the semifinals at the French Open in each of the past two years, has reached at least the fourth round in each Grand Slam so far this year. Since his US Open debut in 2014, he's made it to at least the third round in each of his four appearances. Thiem broke into the Top 10 following his strong showing at the 2016 French Open.
WHAT IT MEANS: Thiem has won one title this year (Rio de Janeiro) and is hoping to build on his strong showing in Slams this year. He'll play the winner of the match between Marcos Baghdatis and Taylor Fritz, who play later in the day Wednesday. .
De Minaur, 18, won his Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open earlier this year. One of the youngest players in the draw, the Australian is a promising young player who could make a name for himself in the next few years after breaking into the Top 200 (No. 184) several weeks ago.
MATCH POINT: Can Thiem, whose confidence continues to grow during a solid year, be a legitimate threat to challenge for the men's title in a tournament that seems so wide open?
