GSTAAD, August 2, 2015
Dominic Thiem is the champion of the 100th edition of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, winning 7-5, 6-2 against top-seed David Goffin.
12 months to the day since the pair squared off for the Kitzbühel crown, Goffin and Thiem met again in the final in Switzerland in front of about 4,000 spectators in the Roy Emerson Arena. The third-seeded Austrian, who also claimed the title in Umag last Sunday, was pretty solid from the baseline and won 66% of his first service points. Goffin struggled a bit with his service, produced seven double faults, one on break point in the sixth game of the second set. Thiem was efficient in the deciding moments and converted his first match point after one hour and 25 minutes, claiming his third ATP career title.
The finalists in Gstaad
Dominic Thiem kissing the original trophy of Gstaad’s first tournament held in 1915
Thiem spoke to the journalists after the match in the mixed zone, as always during the week switching into his FC Chelsea training jacket. “It was a weird first set. The momentum switched a lot of times. I made the first break but then I lost my own service and I was even close to lose the set. The second set was pretty similar but I served and returned well. I played aggressively and this made the difference in the end,” Thiem analysed afterwards and is still nervous ahead of every final.
“I think every title is something special. It doesn’t make any difference, if it is the first or the third. Playing in Switzerland, however, is always great, as you can speak German,” the 21-year-old told with a smile and is not afraid playing so many clay court events ahead of the hard court season. “Of course it is not the best in terms of preparation but I made my decision to play these tournaments. I still want to give my very best in Kitzbühel, as the two home tournaments are always something special. So first of all, I am focused on next week and then we will see what will happen afterwards,” Thiem said and will be seeded first at an ATP World Tour event for the first time.
“I will go to Kitzbühel by car. As a professional tennis player, you spend so many time in aircraft, so it is very pleasant to go by car. The trip will be long but it is still ok. In Kitzbühel, I can enjoy two days without a match, which is an important time for regeneration,” Thiem describes his trip home and will leave for Austria on Sunday afternoon.
Dominic Thiem doing press after the final
Runner-up David Goffin was understandably disappointed after the final but spoke to Tennis TourTalk:
David Goffin runner-up Gstaad 2015
David Goffin
Alexander Bury and Denis Istomin claimed their first team title, winning the doubles final 3-6, 6-2, 10-5 in one hour and 23 minutes against Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Oliver Marach. For the Belarus, it was the first title on the ATP World Tour and Istomin captured his second doubles title.
Alexander Bury and Denis Istomin claimed their first team title
Bury and Istomin were very happy and relaxed afterwards:
Bury & Istomin Doubles winners Gstaad 2015
Earlier the day, the tournament organizers spoke to the media. “The start into this year’s event wasn’t the best due to the withdrawal of Stan Wawrinka,” Ruth Wipfli-Steinegger, president of the Swiss Open AG told. “But the longer the week lasted, the better it went. Spectators enjoyed world class tennis with great players and eventually we are very satisfied with the week. We sold about 10%-15% more tickets than last year,” she stated and added that an international tennis tournament in a town with a population of about only 3,200 inhabitants will remain different to other events on the ATP World Tour.
“We will not have a party mile in the city every night, like it might be the case in Bastad. Maybe we will introduce some special side events combined with the tennis, which will take place in the evening next year. Nonetheless, the tournament should remain grounded and close to its roots,” Wipfli-Steinegger said.
The tournament will also face a special challenge in 2016, as it is going to take place two weeks ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, which starts on August 5 and will be played on hard courts. It will be difficult to find players, who want to stick to clay ahead of the hard court swing. The contract with Stan Wawrinka is still valid for next year but his appearance in Gstaad is uncertain again. “We stay in touch with Stan and we will see,” tournament director Jeff Collet told. Wawrinka himself told Swiss newspaper “Blick” that “it will be difficult, as the calendar is really full next year, but it is still too early talking about 2016.”
Ruth Wipfli-Steinegger during final news conference on Sunday morning
