Roberto Bautista-Agut has passed a difficult opening test to beat Dominic Thiem 4-6 6-2 6-3 7-6 in the first round of the Australian Open.
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It was a disastrous start for Bautista-Agut as he handed Thiem the early advantage by losing his serve in the opening game of the match.
The Spaniard's troubles were evident to the Melbourne crowd as he battled to find his rhythm, but he showed impressive fight by saving five more break points and a set point on serve.
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However, Thiem refused to be denied as he followed by example to save a break point before clinching the opening set.
The response from Bautista-Agut was emphatic as he secured two breaks of serve to comfortably win the second set, despite still battling his own service problems.
Thiem was rocked by the comeback, and he lost his serve early in the third set as Bautista-Agut started to assert his dominance.
The 13th seed watched his advantage disappear when Thiem broke back, but a couple of winners allowed him to regain control and take a 2-1 lead.
A dramatic match almost took another twist in the 10th game of the four set until Bautista-Agut produced an impressive spell of defensive tennis to save three set points.
Thiem struggled to recover from the missed opportunity, and Bautista-Agut converted match point at the third attempt in the tie-break to earn a spot in the next round.
Callum Mulvihill
