Gijon Open 2022: Dominic Thiem vs Francisco Cerundolo preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (PR) Dominic Thiem vs (4) Francisco Cerundolo.
Date: October 14, 2022.
Tournament: Gijon Open 2022.
Round: Quarter-finals.
Venue: Gijon, Spain.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $612,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Dominic Thiem vs Francisco Cerundolo preview
Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem will lock horns with World No. 29 Francisco Cerundolo on Friday with a place in the semifinals of the Gijon Open at stake.
Thiem continues his comeback to the tennis circuit following his nine-month hiatus due to a wrist injury. He made the semifinals at Gstaad and the quarterfinals at both Bastad and Kitzbuhel in July.
Post the US Open, where he was knocked out in the first round, the 29-year-old made it all the way to the final of the Rennes Challenger, going down against Ugo Humbert.
After a couple of early exits at Metz and Tel Aviv, the World No. 165 has rediscovered his form with two strong wins to make the last eight at Gijon this week. The Austrian first demolished Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-0 before edging Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-4, 6-0.
All of 24, Francisco Cerundolo has been one of the fast-rising stars on the tour. The Argentine reached his maiden ATP tour final at home at the Argentina Open last year. This season, he has gone a step further to taste title glory for the first time at Bastad. He recorded his first-ever top-10 win with his defeat of top seed Casper Ruud en route to the title.
In other notable results, the youngster made the semifinals in Rio de Janeiro, Miami and Hamburg, besides triumphing at the Santa Cruz Challenger.
Cerundolo has experienced a bit of a slump in form over the past few weeks. He snapped his seven-match losing streak this week in Gijon with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Manuel Guinard on Thursday.
Dominic Thiem vs Francisco Cerundolo head-to-head
Thiem and Cerundolo have never met on the tour before, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Dominic Thiem vs Francisco Cerundolo odds
(Odds sourced from oddschecker)
Dominic Thiem vs Francisco Cerundolo prediction
While it hasn't been a rosy comeback for Thiem, he has gradually been gathering momentum. The Austrian didn't look at his best in the initial stages of his duel with Marcos Giron in the previous round. However, he found the spark while facing a break point at 3-6, 4-4 and went on to win the next eight games.
That would have done wonders for Thiem's confidence level and he would be eager to continue his campaign with the same spirit and determination.
From 3-6, 4-4 and break point down, Dominic Thiem wins 8 consecutive games and beats Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the QFs in Gijón.
4th ATP QF of the season.
1st hardcourt QF since Doha 2021!
However, Cerundolo could make his job tough given the serious talent he possesses. Although he enjoys playing on clay, his power and aggression, especially off his forehand, make him a difficult opponent to face. It is evident from the 25 winners the Argentine struck against Guinard to just 17 unforced errors in his Gijon opener.
That said, Cerundolo has been highly inconsistent over the last few weeks and has failed to string together two wins in a row since July. If Thiem continues to move and fire his groundstrokes the way he did in the latter part of his match against Giron, Cerundolo might not have many answers.
Pick: Dominic Thiem to win in three sets.