MELBOURNE, January 15, 2019

Dominic Thiem emerged victorious from the final match played on Tuesday evening on Margaret Court Arena. The 25-year-old Austrian fought past Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.

Thiem, who arrived in Melbourne without earning a match win this season, withstood 21 aces breaking his opponent’s serve five times to seal victory in three hours and 42 minutes. The No. 7 seed will next take on Australian wild card entry Alex Popyrin, who edged out Mischa Zverev from Germany in the three sets.

“I wish this match would have been a bit shorter but thanks to the spectators for staying here,” Thiem said during his post-match interview, which was held at about 2 am. “I obviously dropped physically in the third and fourth set but I was ready to fight again in the fifth. It is a Grand Slam tournament here and I love this arena. It is worth to fight until the end.”