Gstaad 2022: Hugo Gaston vs Dominic Thiem preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Hugo Gaston vs (PR) Dominic Thiem.
Date: July 19, 2022
Tournament: Swiss Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Gstaad, Switzerland.
Category: ATP 250.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €534,555.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | Canada - TSN.
Hugo Gaston vs Dominic Thiem preview
Seventh seed Hugo Gaston will lock horns with 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the first round of the 2022 Swiss Open on Tuesday.
With a 10-13 win-loss record for the season, Gaston isn't having a great year. His best result so far has been a lone quarterfinal at the Libema Open, a grasscourt tournament.
On clay, his best showing was a third-round appearance at the French Open. He upset 19th seed Alex de Minaur in a thrilling five-set encounter in the first round and then won in straight sets against Pedro Cachin before losing to Holger Rune in the third round.
Following a second-round exit from Wimbledon, he competed at the Swedish Open last week. Gaston won against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round after his opponent was forced to retire in the second set due to an injury. He then lost to Aslan Karatsev in straight sets in the following round.
The young Frenchman will look to better his performance from the previous week in Hamburg.
Following an injury-shortened season last year, Thiem returned to the tour in March earlier this year. His comeback didn't go as per the script, as he racked up seven consecutive losses.
Following his defeat at the French Open, the Austrian decided to skip Wimbledon this time around to train and get better. Thiem's decision paid off as he won his first match of the season at the Salzburg Challenger, defeating Filip Misolic. He lost to Facundo Bagnis in the next round.
Overall I’m happy with my performance this week! 🎾🇸🇪
Really enjoyed competing here in beautiful Båstad!
Next stop: @SwissOpenGstaad 🏔🇨🇭 https://t.co/1gEAPlefty
The 2020 US Open champion defeated Emil Ruusuvuori in three sets in the first round of the Swedish Open for his first ATP win of the year. Thiem then defeated Roberto Bautista Agut in three sets as well, before going down to Sebastian Baez in three sets in the quarterfinals. He'll now aim to keep the momentum going in Gstaad as well.
Hugo Gaston vs Dominic Thiem head-to-head
Thiem leads Gaston 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2020 French Open in five sets.
Hugo Gaston vs Dominic Thiem odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Hugo Gaston vs Dominic Thiem prediction
Despite numerous setbacks, Thiem wasn't disheartened and continued to train hard to get back to his former level. His persistence paid off last week as he got some much-needed victories under his belt.
The Austrian's forehand looked quite menacing in the initial rounds at the Swedish Open. However, against an in-form player like Baez, the deficiencies in his game were exposed once again.
Gaston's a crafty player and Thiem will have to be ready to chase down plenty of drop shots from time to time. He also utilizes his serve to great effect.
Their previous encounter at the 2020 French Open was a memorable one, with Thiem needing five sets to win. The 21-year-old Gaston tossed in 58 drop shots during that match, with 40 of them being winners.
Considering Gaston's form this year, Thiem certainly has a shot at winning this encounter. His trademark grit and determination is still present and if he's able to sustain his level throughout the contest, he's likely to walk away as the victor.
Pick: Thiem to win in three sets.