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World no. 108 Dominic Thiem entered the Paris Masters main draw after two qualifying wins. The former Major champion ousted two seeded players to hit the main action, facing Stan Wawrinka in the opening round. Dominic will compete in Paris for the first time since 2019, entering the season's last Masters 1000 event for the seventh time and seeking his eighth victory.
The Austrian debuted in Paris in 2014, losing to Wawrinka in two tight sets in the second round. Thiem's best result in the French capital came in 2018, scoring three wins before losing to Karen Khachanov in the semi-final.
Struggling with injuries for the last couple of years, Thiem could not progress through the ranking list this season, scoring 17 ATP wins and playing in one final. Dominic will try to earn important points in Paris after gaining a boost with two qualifying triumphs.
Thiem met Lorenzo Sonego in the first qualifying round and scored a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory after two and a half hours.
Dominic Thiem is through into the main draw at the Paris Masters.
The Austrian played better behind the first serve, although he got broken three times.
He grabbed 44% of the return points and turned them into six breaks from ten opportunities, including a late one in the decider that made the difference. Dominic was the only player on the court in the first set, serving well and earning three straight breaks for 6-1 in half an hour.
They traded early breaks in the second set, and the Italian raised his level after that. Sonego served well and broke Thiem in game seven, taking the set 6-4 and forcing a decider. Dominic moved 3-1 up before losing serve in game five to keep the rival in contention.
They served well in the next four games, and Sonego needed another good hold while serving to stay in the match at 4-5. The Italian denied two match points and held, hoping to reach a tie break. However, the Austrian broke him in the 12th game to seal the deal and emerge at the top.
Dominic battled with the 12th seed Christopher O'Connell for a place in the main draw, beating the Aussie 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 25 minutes. Both players struggled to find the first serve, and Thiem played better behind the second serve.
The Austrian dropped 14 points in ten service games, never facing a break point and keeping the pressure on the other side. O'Connell could not follow that pace, facing six break points and getting broken once in each set to propel Thiem through.
Dominic grabbed a break in the opener's tenth game, wrapping up the set and gaining a boost. The Aussie got broken in the second set's eighth game, falling 5-3 behind and allowing the Austrian to seal the deal on his serve a few minutes later.