Madrid Open 2021: Dominic Thiem vs John Isner preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (3) Dominic Thiem vs John Isner
Date: 6 May 2021
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: €2,614,460
Match timing: 1 pm local time, 4.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Dominic Thiem vs John Isner preview
Dominic Thiem overcame a slow start before closing out a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur in the third round of the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday.
Playing in his first tournament since the Dubai Championships in March, Thiem has notched up a couple of resounding results in the Spanish capital this week. He has repeatedly spoken about not being back to 100% yet, but will be keen on carrying the momentum from his first two wins here.
Awaiting Thiem in the quarterfinals on Friday is America's John Isner, who scored an upset win over sixth seed Andrey Rublev in a marathon third-round match.
Isner delivered a clean serving performance to oust his higher-ranked opponent in a third set tiebreaker. He had earned a similarly hard-fought win over Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round, and is beginning to like a formidable opponent on the relatively quicker claycourts of Madrid.
Dominic Thiem vs John Isner head-to-head
Dominic Thiem leads John Isner in their head-to-head with a 2-1 margin. All of their previous meetings have been tight affairs, and we could be headed for another close finish on Friday.
Dominic Thiem vs John Isner prediction
Dominic Thiem's time off court seems to have helped him rediscover his form. He has posted solid numbers behind serve this week, and looked equally sharp off the ground. Thiem is a clear favorite ahead of the quarterfinal match against Isner.
The main challenge for the Austrian will be to come up with an answer to the Isner serve, which has been menacing throughout the week. The American has won over 75% of the points behind the first serve, fired 88 aces in his three encounters, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Isner will look to continue his dominance on serve and push for a tiebreaker set or two, a strategy that has worked well for him so far.
Thiem, on the other hand, would be keen to avoid such tight situations given his lack of match practice in recent weeks. The Austrian can easily outlast his opponent from the baseline, but the key for him will lie in making the best of the second serve return and break-point conversion.
Thiem cannot afford to be too conservative on his returns, as that will only strengthen Isner's grip over the proceedings.
This could be a close match, but Thiem holds a slight edge given his superior overall game. The third seed will still need to be careful though, as even the slightest of let-ups in intensity could end up costing him dearly against an on-song Isner.
Prediction: Dominic Thiem to win in three sets.