Dominic Thiem was made to work hard on Wednesday at the Gijon Open, but he found a way to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Spain.

In a hard-fought clash, the Austrian battled past American Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 to advance to his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season after two hours and 27 minutes.

“It was a very intense match,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “Long, long rallies and lots of running. It was so close throughout the whole match until the third set. At the end of the second set, anything could have happened. I had to save a break point at 4-4 in the second set, if he makes it he is probably going to be the winner.

“It was so close the match, but luckily I was able to win that second set and then running away at the beginning of the third. I am really happy. It was so close, so intense. A great night.”

After a slow start, Thiem opened his shoulders to overpower Giron. He recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set, eventually forcing a decider when Giron struck a double fault on set point. The 29-year-old then raced through the third set to improve to 13-13 in tour-level matches in 2022.

Thiem, who downed Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-0 in his first-round match in Gijon, will next meet fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo or French qualifier Manuel Guinard.

In other action, fifth seed Tommy Paul moved past Spanish qualifier Nicolas Alvarez Varona 6-3, 7-6(3) in one hour and 53 minutes. The American, who is playing in his first tour-level event since the US Open, will next meet top seed Andrey Rublev or Ilya Ivashka.

Sebastian Korda ensured the United States tasted more success at the ATP 250 event on Wednesday when he defeated Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-1. The 22-year-old did not face a break point on serve, advancing to his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season after one hour and 31 minutes. Korda will next face third-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

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Second seed Pablo Carreno Busta made a strong start in Gijon, sweeping past Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 7-6(3) to earn his first match win since the US Open in September. The Spaniard, who captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Montreal in August, will next play Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman downed countryman Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-2.

Argentine Pedro Cachin also advanced, edging qualifier Alexey Vatutin 7-6(2), 6-0. He will next take on former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

After Sam Querrey brought his 16-year career on the ATP Tour to a close at the US Open in August, the American had quite the list of achievements to look back on.

A 10-time tour-level titlist, Querrey was renowned as one of the biggest and most destructive servers on Tour. The Californian backed up his prime weapon with clinical volleying and a high-powered ground game that carried him to a career-high No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2018.

Now an ambassador for Top Court, Querrey reveals the secrets behind his dominant one-two punch on serve, emphasising how big serving is made more effective by staying alert to handle your opponent’s return. He also discusses how his approach to tennis and training developed from his time as a junior and reveals some light-hearted off-court stories involving former World No. 1 Andy Roddick.

Technique: Querrey’s dominant serving was all about routine, and the American delves into the technical aspects he focused on during his service motion. The first delivery can’t always work out, of course, so Querrey also walks you through the skills needed to add a kick to your second serve, forcing your opponent into an immediate readjustment on return.

Drills: A big server needs the skills to back up their delivery, and Querrey showcases two drills to help fans develop this crucial aspect of their game. His ‘Short High Forehand Finish’ and ‘20/20 Volley’ drills help develop consistency when dealing with returns, enabling you to move forward with confidence behind your serve.

Follow Querrey’s Tutorials at TopCourt.com.

Under pressure early from Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Tuesday at the Gijon Open, Andy Murray found a moment of magic to trigger a stunning turnaround at the ATP 250 event in Spain.

Murray pulled off a difficult forehand volley on the stretch at 2-4, 30/40 to avoid going a double break down in the first set of his first-round clash against the Spanish sixth seed. It proved a pivotal moment in the pair’s maiden ATP Head2Head meeting, as the Briton held serve for 3-4 before raising his level to claim 10 of the next 13 games and storm to a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

The former World No. 1, who is competing as a wild card at the ATP 250 event in north-west Spain, will take on Pedro Cachin or qualifier Alexey Vatutin in the second round.

More to follow…

Alexander Bublik added another win to his impressive indoor record in 2022 on Tuesday at the UniCredit Firenze Open, but this one carried a little extra meaning for the Kazakh.

The seventh seed’s 7-5, 6-2 victory against Cristian Garin at the ATP 250 event in Florence was his 100th tour-level victory. Bublik fired 37 winners and broke the Chilean’s serve three times to notch a Tour-leading 14th indoor win of the season.

“I played a good match, I stayed solid, I served well,” said Bublik after his 87-minute triumph. “The conditions fit me well, the court is quite fast, so I’m pleased with my game and let’s see what goes on after.”

As he celebrates reaching the 100-win milestone at the age of 25, Bublik emphasised his determination to continue working hard as he bids to improve on his career-high of No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Kazakh achieved that position after lifting his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Montpellier in February.

“I do believe you must improve every day, and improve everything, so I wouldn’t find a specific thing that I need to improve,” said Bublik. “But I think the overall game, if I can stay solid, stay disciplined, I think we can talk about something bigger.”

Bublik’s next test in Florence is a second-round matchup against Corentin Moutet, who came through a tough three-setter against #NextGenATP Italian Flavio Cobolli on Monday night.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mikael Ymer cruised into the second round with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Tim van Rijthoven.

The highest-ranked Swede in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Ymer enjoyed the biggest win of his career in mid-September against then-World No. 11 Jannik Sinner in the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage. He backed up that result by reaching his seventh tour-level quarter-final on the indoor courts in Metz, and the 24-year-old will seek to make it eight quarter-finals when he meets fifth seed Aslan Karatsev in the second round in Florence.