Darderi drops Thiem in Vienna, to end the Austrian’s career | ATP Tour

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Darderi drops Thiem in Vienna, to end the Austrian’s career

The Italian will face Draper at the ATP 500

October 22, 2024

Luciano Darderi had little time for feelings this Tuesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

The Italian beat Dominic Thiem 7-6(6), 6-2 in the last match of the former world No. 3’s career. Darderi kept his cool in a rowdy atmosphere at the Wiener Stadthalle, where he overcame Thiem in a tight first set before sprinting to victory in 91 minutes.

Thiem, a 17-time tour champion, offered some moments of brilliance in his final match as a professional, including a pair of backhand winners that brought the home fans to their feet. However, Darderi, No. 42 in the PIF ATP Rankings, did not let the occasion get the better of him and ended up taking a well-deserved victory in his debut in Vienna.

Thiem congratulated Darderi at the net after a forehand that gave him the victory. The Austrian in turn received greetings from his audience, and also gave a brief speech on the track to thank them for their support.

“I have had so many beautiful goodbyes in recent months, but today I want to say thank you for all these sensational years,” Thiem said. “I’m just a part of this race. The whole trip has been an absolute dream and I want this afternoon, this night, to be yours. I couldn’t have imagined it better. Thank you!”

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Thiem held a 4-2 lead early in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup with Darderi, but the 22-year-old Italian responded superbly and finished the match having converted three of the five break points he generated, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Darderi arrived in Vienna on a seven-match losing streak, but will now face Jack Draper in the second round, seventh seed and winner of Kei Nishikori (7-6(5), 7-5). Cordoba champion Darderi, who had only won one game on the circuit before 2024, is 24-23 on the season.