Thiem eases into second round at Australian Open

Third seed Thiem was broken twice in the first set and had to fight off a set point at 6-5 before rallying to take the tiebreak at Rod Laver Arena.

Dominic Thiem overcame an early wobble before overpowering Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(2) 6-2 6-3 to reach the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 8, 2021 Austria's Dominic Thiem celebrates winning his first round match against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin REUTERS/Kelly Defina (REUTERS)

Third seed Thiem was broken twice in the first set and had to fight off a set point at 6-5 before rallying to take the tiebreak at Rod Laver Arena.

The Austrian, beaten in a five-set final by Novak Djokovic last year, found his rhythm and ended up racing to the finish, breaking Kukushkin to love to seal the match.

U.S. Open champion Thiem will meet the winner of Dominik Koepfer and Hugo Dellien for a place in the third round.