Thiem kicks off French Open run on auspicious note

Austria's Dominc Thiem on Monday started his quest for his first Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 win over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus in the opening round of the French Open.

Both players struggled on serve as the 104-minute match saw a total of ten service breaks out of 20 opportunities, reports Efe.

Thiem, the seventh seed, was solid on serve during the first set, winning 100 percent of the first delivery points but only 40 percent of the second serve.

As a result, Thiem did not face a single break point and made the most of the two break points he created to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, however, Ivashka broke his rival's serve twice, but conceded his own three times to fall two sets behind.

The 24-year-old Thiem shrugged off the two break points he faced in the third set, dropping only one game and sealing the win.

In the second round, Thiem is set to square off against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, who defeated Carlos Taberner of Spain.

--IANS

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