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Dominic Thiem can not catch a break! The Austrian experienced his third consecutive first-round loss at Roland Garros, falling to Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, 6-2 in three hours and 49 minutes. The Austrian struggled in the opening two sets before raising his level in the next two to bounce back and force a decider.
However, he lost steam and suffered a heartbreaking loss at one of his favorite tournaments, where he fought for the title in back-to-back years. The Argentine played better behind the first serve while losing ground on the second.
He faced 12 break points and gave serve away six times. On the other hand, Thiem dropped 44% of the points in his games, playing against 17 break points and experiencing ten breaks, too many to think about the win. Dominic sprayed over 80 unforced errors and struggled in the shortest and mid-range rallies, allowing Pedro to emerge at the top and make a winning start.
Dominic Thiem experienced his third consecutive first-round loss in Paris.
Cachin produced four commanding holds in the opener and made the difference. He broke in the second game to open a 3-0 gap before Thiem pulled the break back in game five with a forehand drive-volley winner.
A two-time finalist sprayed a forehand error in the eighth game to fall 5-3 behind, and Pedro closed the set with a service winner in game nine. With a boost on his side, Cachin produced four comfortable holds in the second set and broke Thiem two times for a massive advantage.
Dominic sprayed a backhand error in the first game to lose serve and fell 5-2 down following another loose service game. Pedro held at 15 in game eight to forge a 6-3, 6-2 advantage in 66 minutes and move closer to the finish line.
Thiem raised his level in the third set, serving well and breaking the opponent in the fourth game to open a 4-1 gap. Pedro broke back in game seven and saved a set point at 4-5 to extend the set, hoping to seal the deal in straight sets.
Thiem survived a scare in the 11th game, denying six break points and gathering a boost. The Austrian claimed the tie break 7-1 to extend the match and his chances. With momentum on his side, Dominic raced into a 5-1 lead in the fourth set with a double break.
He wasted a set point on serve at 5-2 and lost serve. Cachin saved three more set points in game nine to reduce the deficit to 5-4. Dominic served for the set for the second time in game ten and hit a service winner for a hold at love, hoping for more in the decider.
Cachin started all over and broke Thiem in games two and six to open a massive 5-1 advantage. Dominic pulled one break back in game seven before getting broken in the next one to propel Pedro over the top.