Match Details
Fixture: (12) Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dominic Thiem
Date: August 29, 2022
Tournament: US Open 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $60,102,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & ESPN2 | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv, Sony Ten & Sony Six
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dominic Thiem preview
Two-time US Open semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta will battle it out against 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round of the US Open on Monday.
Carreno Busta has turned his season around during the ongoing North American hardcourt swing. The Spaniard started by taking his home country to the finals of the ATP Cup but lost to Canada. At the Australian Open, he reached the fourth round but was taken out by Matteo Berrettini.
Carreno Busta then went on to acquire mixed results. He made a significant showing at the Barcelona Open, where he lost his final encounter to compatriot and friend Carlos Alcaraz. The 31-year-old was a quarterfinalist at the Halle Open and a semifinalist at the Swedish Open.
Carreno Busta, however, took a quantum leap a couple of weeks ago when he scored the biggest title of his career at the Canadian Masters. He outclassed Hubert Hurkacz in the ultimate clash.
The Spaniard will be entering Flushing Meadows after a first-round exit against Miomir Kecmanovic at the Cincinnati Masters. He has recorded 28 wins and 18 losses so far.
Dominic Thiem’s season has been under par. The former World No. 3 has been plagued by injuries and other health concerns and thus hasn’t been able to revive his previously threatening form this year.
Thiem started his competitive comeback with a Challenger event in Marbella but was inefficacious. It wasn’t until a Challenger event in Salzburg that the Austrian registered his first win in 14 months. Thiem then racked up some desired results at the Swedish Open and the Austrian Open, where he made the quarterfinals and at the Swiss Open, where he advanced to the semifinals.
The 28-year-old’s last appearance was at the Winston-Salem Open, where he nabbed two atypical wins against Jeffrey John Wolf in the first round deciding tiebreak and Grigor Dimitrov in the second round when the latter retired mid-match. Thiem eventually found his undoing against Jack Draper in the third round. He has collected nine wins and 10 losses at the tour level this year.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Dominic Thiem holds a staggering 7-0 tour-level record against Pablo Carreno Busta. The duo have clashed four times on hard courts and thrice on clay. Their last encounter was in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Vienna Open, where Thiem was declared the champion.
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dominic Thiem odds
(All odds are sourced from bet365)
Pablo Carreno Busta vs Dominic Thiem prediction
Contrary to their head-to-head stats, Carreno Busta will enter the match-up as the heavy favorite.
The Austrian has been out of form while the Spaniard has started soaring to greater heights in recent days. Carreno Busta is evidently comfortable on hardcourts and has managed to make deep runs at the US Open in the past.
Carreno Busta is known for his stellar defensive skills. The 31-year-old displays excellent mobility and enjoys prolonging rallies with consistent returns. He likes to wear his opponents down and draw out errors from them.
Dominic Thiem is a hard-hitting baseliner with an admirable one-handed backhand. The former US Open champion is known to blast backhand winners down the line. He has recently regained the confidence to use his backhand to earn crosscourt winners as well. His forehand has suffered a setback ever since his wrist injury and has been inconsistent, even if a little more reliable over the last few months.
Thiem’s mental stamina is hampered due to his extended time off the courts and he will struggle to play the best of five sets match. Carreno Busta should be able to register his first win against the former champion.
Pick: Carreno Busta to win in four sets.