Dominic Thiem aces tough Roland Garros opener against Marin Cilic

Sep 29, 2020 06:00 am

Dominic Thiem showed no sign of a hangover from his US Open triumph, as he began his Roland Garros campaign with an impressive 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Croat Marin Cilic yesterday.

Third seed Thiem, beaten by Rafael Nadal in the last two French Open finals, was handed a tough first round against a former US Open champion.

But a steady display from Thiem saw the Austrian break Cilic six times under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier on another gloomy day at Roland Garros, pushed back from its customary May-June slot due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I really love this tournament, it's by far my best Grand Slam tournament so far," said Thiem, who plays American Jack Sock in the second round.

In the women's draw, Serena Williams made a slow but successful start to her latest pursuit of a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-0 win over Kristie Ahn.

American teenager Coco Gauff brushed aside last year's semi-finalist Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-3 on her main-draw debut. - REUTERS, AFP