'Nick Kyrgios is a tough rival to beat when his game is on,' said Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem survived an epic battle with Nick Kyrgios in the Australian Open third round, beating the home favorite 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 21 minutes.

Thiem had to give his best to overcome both Kyrgios and his partisan crowd on John Cain Arena, staying focused after the second set and turning the encounter into his favor with a single break in the remaining three sets. Kyrgios threw everything he had towards the last year's finalist in the opening two sets, keeping his strokes under control and mixing up his game with crafty underarm serves and excellent defense.

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Thiem played better on the second serve and kept his serve locked after set number two. Also, he started to play more aggressive tennis to match Kyrgios' number of winners, taming his strokes more efficiently to cross the finish line first. Nick wasted a massive opportunity at the beginning of the third set, and that switched the momentum to Dominic's side of the court, although it was a tough battle from start to finish.

"Playing against Nick on his favorite court is one of the most challenging things in our sport. He is a huge player when he is on fire. I was dealing with the loss before fighting myself; giving up wasn't an option. When I got the break in the third set, I realized there was a chance to turn it around, and the longer the match got, the more comfortable I felt. I went far back from his serves as you can't read them.

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I always prefer playing in front of a crowd, even if they are not for me, and obviously, they are for the local hero, and there's nothing wrong with that - I have to accept it. But I prefer it that way more than playing in front of an empty stadium. The next match will be in front of empty stands, and everyone is sad about that. Still, this was a good last match before the lockdown," Dominic Thiem said.