Kitzbuhel final preview and prediction: Baez vs. Thiem

For the first time since beginning his comeback from a nine-month injury layoff, Dominic Thiem is in the final of an ATP Tour tournament.

Thiem did it the hard way, too, saving five match points before outlasting Laslo Djere 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(8) in the semifinals of the Generali Open on Friday night. The 29-year-old Austrian triumphed in front of the home crowd in Kitzbuhel after three hours and 30 minutes.

“I don’t know if I can still produce some good words,” Thiem said during his on-court interview. “It was probably the longest best of three match I’ve ever played in my life, including when I was a kid. I think even then I didn’t play that long for a best of three match.

“It was a very tough and intense match. So close every set, every single game. I knew it straight from the beginning that it would be so close, first three or four games were 20, 25 minutes. It was just an incredible atmosphere again.”

Facing a quick turnaround and surely dealing with both mental and physical fatigue heading into the championship match, Thiem will need all the help he can get from the fans once again on Saturday. Standing in the world No. 116’s way of an 18th career title is Sebastian Baez, who has advanced with victories over Hamad Medjedovic, Roberto Carballes Baena, Alex Molcan, and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Only Etcheverry managed to take a set during a two-hour and 40-minute semifinal battle.

Their only previous meeting came last fall on the red clay of Bastad, where Baez prevailed 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.

Thiem, who was sidelined from June of 2021 to March of 2022, has a lot more matches under his belt now–plus he is playing in the friendly confines of Austria. However, the pressure is on him at home and having not won any ATP title since the 2020 U.S. Open. The physical edge goes to Baez, too, so the Austrian crowd may go home unhappy on Saturday afternoon.

Pick: Baez in 3

[yop_poll id=”444″]