Nicolas Mahut Masters Den Bosch, Dominic Thiem Takes Stuttgart Title In Rain-Delayed Grass Finals
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Dominic Thiem cemented his growing legend as a player who can beat any opponent on any surface, and 34-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Mahut won a tournament for a third time as two ATP grasscourt finals were completed on Monday morning due to rains on Sunday.
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Mahut became a three-time Ricoh Open champion at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where the No. 8 seed beat No. 7-seeded Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-4 for his fourth career grasscourt title.
“Playing a final is always special, but this was different,” Mahut said. “Getting the trophy is the most important thing. I started the match really well and tried to relax. I know winning a title doesn’t happen every week…. [Now] I have to be ready to play Andy Murray tomorrow [at Queen’s Club].”
The match resumed with Mahut up a set, and in the second set the Frenchman broke for a 3-1 lead and rode out the win to improve to a 14-12 win-loss record this year.
Thiem completed a victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Monday in the Stuttgart Mercedes Cup final. The No. 3 seed beat the No. 7-seeded German 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4.
“It feels absolutely unreal because I came here without any expectations basically, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the most special title for me,” said Thiem, who beat grass GOAT Roger Federer in the semifinals and won his seventh career title. “I didn’t play that well on grass over the past two years, and this tournament was so strong. I’m the winner here, I really cannot believe it.”
The 22-year-old became the ninth active player to win titles on three different surfaces in the same year in 2016 after Buenos Aires (clay), Nice (clay), and Acapulco (hard).
For Thiem the final was sweet revenge after losing to Kohlschreiber in a third-set tiebreak more than a month ago in the BMW Open final.
“It’s sad to lose the final, but I think it was a very good final,” Kohlschreiber said. “It was a tough situation, because of the rain, but overall it was a great finish for the tournament and for Dominic. I’m happy with the performance, the loss is a little bit annoying, but I am happy with the week.”
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