Dominic Thiem won the first game after announcing his retirement. In qualifying for the French Open in Paris, the former finalist won Monday’s first qualifying round against Italian-Argentine Franco Agamemnon after coming from behind 3: 6.6: 3.6: 2. Thiem, seeded 11th in the qualifiers, now faces Finnish Otto Virtanen (ATP No. 156) in the second round.
Thiem announced a week and a half ago that he wanted to end his career in the fall. The Lower Austrian, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the finals in Paris in 2018 and 2019, did not receive a wild card for the main event at Roland Garros. On Court Suzanne-Lenglen, the 30-year-old got off to a poor start against the 228th in the ATP rankings. Agamemnon, a year older, took the first set 4:2 after the break.
Three breaks in set three
But Thiem was up to speed, took the second set (break to 4:2) and was the better player in the decider. The Lower Austrian, who is ranked 131st in the new world rankings, broke 1:0, 3:0 and 4:1. After 2:19 hours, Thiem brought his game to 6:2.
A total of five Austrians are attempting men’s qualification at Roland Garros.
