Dominic Thiem defeated J.J. Wolf to set up a showdown with top seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Thiem showed signs of returning to his best with runs to the last eight or better in three tournaments in July, but the 2020 US Open winner was in danger of falling at the first hurdle in North Carolina when he lost the first set against the American wildcard.

But Thiem, a debutant in the competition, bounced back, and after a long rain delay he prevailed 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 7-6 (8-6), and he will now face Dimitrov, who is seeking a first trophy since 2017.

The Austrian had to save two match points during a last-set tie-break, and said afterwards: "First of all I'm super happy to get that win, [my] first win on hard courts since a very long time, since March 2021, I guess.

"It was not easy at all today with the rain delay, coming back out there at 11:15 p.m. It was very late. I had trouble [getting] into the match again.

"But luckily I raised the level a little bit in the third-set tie-break and compared to Kitzbuhel, where similar stuff happened with the rain, the luck was on my side today."

Second seed Botic van de Zandschulp also learned of his last-32 opponent on Monday, with Tallon Griekspoor beating fellow lucky loser Taro Daniel 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Last year's beaten finalist Mikael Ymer ensured a safe passage through, meanwhile, thanks to a 6-2 6-3 victory against Federico Coria.

Australia's James Duckworth also advanced with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 (7-5) comeback win over compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Kyle Edmund saw off Michail Pervolarakis 6-2 7-5.

Sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was a big-name exit, as he went down to Thiago Monteiro.

Dominic Thiem battled his way into the quarter-finals of the Austrian Open at the expense of compatriot Sebastian Ofner on Wednesday.

Thiem reached his first semi-final since May 2021 at the Swiss Open last week and is looking to make further strides on home soil this week, having endured an injury nightmare.

The 2020 US Open champion made it through to the last eight in Kitzbuhel but had to dig deep for a 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory over qualifier Ofner.

Thiem only lost one point in the opening two games and wrapped up the first set in commanding fashion, but Ofner claimed the only break of the second set to force a decider.

The former world number three twice came from a break down in the final set to ensure he will face Yannick Hanfmann for a place in the semi-finals.

Seeds Aslan Karatsev and Joao Sousa bowed out, losing to Dusan Lajovic and Jiri Lehecka respectively.

Spanish trio Roberto Bautista Agut, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pedro Martinez advanced in straight sets.

Two of the top five seeds were knocked out of the Croatia Open, with Holger Rune and Alex Molcan falling in the round of 16.

Bernabe Zapata Miralles got the better of third seed Rune 3-6 6-3 6-2, while Roberto Carballes Baena ousted Molcan 3-6 6-2 6-3. Jannik Sinner and Giulio Zeppieri secured their quarter-final spots in Umag.

Dominic Thiem started his bid for a second Austrian Open title with a comfortable triumph over Alexander Shevchenko.

Thiem, a 2019 winner at the tournament in his home country, prevailed 6-4 6-2 in Kitzbuhel.

He will next face compatriot Sebastian Ofner as he seeks a first title since his grand slam breakthrough at the US Open in 2020.

Ofner came from a set down to beat former world number seven Richard Gasquet 1-6 7-5 7-5.

Meanwhile, seventh seed Pedro Martinez saved six out of six break points en route to a 7-6 6-3 victory over Chilean Nicolas Jarry.

At the Croatia Open in Umag, Bernabe Zapata Miralles set up a round of 16 meeting with third seed Holger Rune by beating Croatian Dino Prizmic, who retired when facing a 6-4 3-0 deficit.

Alex Molcan is safely through to the next round after defeating Duje Ajdukovic, while French 23-year-old Corentin Moutet cruised to a straight-sets victory over sixth seed Daniel Altmaier.

Former world number 17 Cristian Garin was beaten 6-4 7-5 by Federico Coria in the first round of the Austrian Open in Kitzbuhel, while Matteo Berrettini and defending champion Casper Ruud withdrew from the tournament.

2017 runner-up Joao Sousa cruised past Vit Kopriva 6-1 7-5 and Jurij Rodionov set up a Round of 16 meeting with third seed Roberto Bautista Agut with a straight-sets victory over Hernan Casanova.

Dominic Thiem, who won the 2019 edition of the competition, will face Alexander Shevchenko tomorrow while Richard Gasquet will take on Sebastian Ofner.

2016 Croatia Open winner Fabio Fognini will not be regaining his title in Umag this year, after the seventh seed was knocked out by Colombian Daniel Galan in a 3-6 7-5 3-6 defeat.

Galan will play Giulio Zeppieri in the next round, who came from one set down to overcome world number 90 Pedro Cachin 3-6 6-1 6-4.

Fifth seed Alex Molcan plays his first game tomorrow against Duje Adjukovic, and sixth seed Daniel Altmaier will take on French 23-year-old Corentin Moutet.

Carlos Alcaraz will play Lorenzo Musetti in the Hamburg European Open final following a straight-sets victory over Alex Molcan on Saturday.

The Spanish teenager is targeting a fifth ATP title of the year, which would move him ahead of Rafael Nadal, having already triumphed in Rio, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid.

Alcaraz is set to move into the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time after seeing off Slovakia's Molcan 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 to reach yet another championship match on his debut in Hamburg.

The top seed broke twice in the opening set but was pegged back on both occasions by Molcan, who was striving to reach a third final of 2022 after finishing as runner-up in Marrakech and Lyon.

But the 19-year-old dominated the tie-break, and found another gear to storm into the final as he made it eight successive sets won this week.

"It was tough," Alcaraz said. "Obviously, [Alex] played really well. The first set was really close; I'm really happy to be able to end the first set playing well.

"I couldn't read the drop shots from him. He was better on the drop shots today, so I was a little bit [frustrated] in the first set.

"In the second set, I think he was down a little bit; he didn't play well. I finished the match with a lot of confidence and played very well."

Standing between Alcaraz and another title is Musetti, who will appear in his maiden ATP final after he overcame Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

The Italian, who is set to climb into the world's top 50 for the first time, had lost six consecutive ATP Tour matches prior to this week.

But the 20-year-old continued his resurgence; ending the Bastad champion's eight-match winning streak by roaring back from 3-1 down in a second-set tie-break.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud will target a third title of 2022 when they lock horns in the Swiss Open showpiece.

Berrettini - a winner in Stuttgart and Queen's before a positive COVID-19 test ruled him out of Wimbledon - registered his 12th successive victory, putting former US Open champion Dominic Thiem to the sword 6-1 6-4 in 78 minutes.

Reigning champion Ruud raced past Albert Ramos-Vinolas; winning five out of seven break points in a resounding 6-2 6-0 triumph.

Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Karen Khachanov to reach the semi-finals of the Hamburg European Open, while Matteo Berrettini will face Dominic Thiem in the last four at the Swiss Open.

Top seed Alcaraz only needed an hour and nine minutes to beat Russian Khachanov 6-0 6-2 in a clay-court masterclass on Friday.

The 19-year-old Spaniard moved a step closer to winning a fifth title this year with a dominant performance, breaking the Russian five times in a one-sided contest.

Alcaraz hit 21 winners as Khachanov was given a harsh lesson and the teenager will next face Alex Molcan, who was 2-0 up in the second set after winning the first on a tie-break when Borna Coric retired due to injury.

"I played unbelievable today, probably one of my best matches this year," Alcaraz said of his win against Khachanov. "I'm pretty happy with the performance that I'm playing in this tournament. Yesterday [a victory over Filip Krajinovic] was amazing as well.

"I'm training every day to be solid and at the same time to be aggressive. That is my game."

Francisco Cerundolo and Lorenzo Musetti will contest the other semi-final in Hamburg after beating Aslan Karatsev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina respectively.

A rejuvenated Thiem is enjoying another hugely encouraging week and will take on Berrettini in his first semi-final of the year following a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in Gstaad.

Austrian Thiem has not played in a final since winning his only grand slam at the 2020 US Open, but he claimed his first ATP-level victory for 14 months in Bastad last week and is through to his first semi-final since May 2021 after bossing the baseline battle with Varillas.

It was not all plain sailing for Berrettini, who roared back to beat Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 after the Spaniard was in command of a second-set tie-break at 5-1, but the second seed extended his winning run to 11 matches.

Top seed Casper Ruud got the better of Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4), booking a showdown with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came through a three-set battle with Nicolas Jarry.

Andrey Rublev crashed out of the Hamburg European Open in straight sets against Francisco Cerundolo, as top seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Filip Krajinovic to reach the quarter-finals.

Second seed Rublev was the latest scalp of Cerundolo's fine run of form, the Argentine making it seven consecutive wins by wrapping up a 6-4 6-2 success in just an hour and a half in Germany.

Having furthered his momentum with a second top-10 win in as many weeks, Cerundolo said: "It is the first time it has happened for me. I am playing against the top guys and I am playing well, it is unbelievable."

Cerundolo will face Aslan Karatsev in the last eight after he recovered from a set down to beat Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6 6-3 6-4.

World number six Alcaraz fared better than Rublev, registering a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Krajinovic to tee up a final-four meeting with Karen Khachanov, who beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

Meanwhile, a host of big names including Casper Rudd and Matteo Berrettini reached the last eight of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, as Dominic Thiem continued his revival with a win over Federico Delbonis.

Thiem reached his second quarter-final in as many weeks with an impressive 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 triumph despite letting a 5-2 lead slip in the opener, registering his first tour-level straight-sets victory since May 2021.

Having set up a meeting with Juan Pablo Varillas, the 2020 US Open champion beamed: "I have won two matches which means a lot to me right now, I really need those ranking points. Every match win is something very special."

The Austrian will be joined in the next round by first and second seeds Ruud and Berrettini, who eased past Jiri Lehecka and Richard Gasquet respectively.

Spanish duo Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pedro Martinez also both progressed to the last eight despite dropping a set, with the latter setting up an enticing clash with Berrettini on Friday.

Carlos Alcaraz was made to come from a set down but finally overcame Nicola Kuhn in the first round of the Hamburg European Open.

The highly rated Spanish teenager eventually downed the German wildcard 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-3).

Kuhn, ranked 259 in the world, was aggressive early on against Alcaraz, and was rewarded with the first set.

But the 19-year-old – playing as top seed in an ATP Tour event for the first time – rallied to ease through the second set, before being made to work much harder to clinch the win on a tie-break.

Alcaraz will now play Filip Krajinovic in the second round after the Serbian also won in a third-set tie-break against Sebastian Baez 6-1 4-6 7-6 (8-6).

Three seeded players crashed out on Tuesday in straight sets, with third favourite Diego Schwartzman losing against Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5 6-4, sixth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili beaten by Aslan Karatsev 6-4 6-0, and eighth seed Holger Rune going down 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 to Tallon Griekspoor. 

Fourth seed Pablo Carreno Busta eased through against Luca Nardi 6-2 6-1, while there were also wins for Fabio Fognini, who sealed his 400th career victory, as well as Daniel Elahi Galan, Borna Coric and Francisco Cerundolo.

At the Swiss Open in Gstaad, sixth seed Cristian Garin lost 6-3 6-4 to Yannick Hanfmann and seventh favourite Hugo Gaston fell to Dominic Thiem despite winning the first set, losing 1-6 6-1 7-6 (9-7).

Elsewhere, Frenchman Richard Gasquet beat Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5 6-4, while his compatriot Benoit Paire retired hurt when a set and a break down against Elias Ymer.

A tight game between Swiss pair Dominic Stricker and Marc-Andrea Huesler saw the former prevail 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4, and an all-Spanish affair was similarly close as Jaume Munar defeated Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3 3-6 7-5.

There were also wins for qualifiers Juan Pablo Varillas and Nicolas Jarry against Lorenzo Sonego and Thiago Monteiro respectively.

Alexander Bublik beat Andy Murray to reach the semi-finals of the Hall of Fame Open, while Dominic Thiem was knocked out of the Swedish Open on Friday.

Bublik and Murray have now beaten each other two times apiece this year after the third seed won 7-5 6-4 in Newport.

The Kazakh overpowered the three-time grand slam champion to move into the last four, winning 80 per cent of his first-serve points and breaking three times.

Murray hit back straight after being broken at the start of the second set, but the former world one trailed 4-3 after failing to hold for a third time and Bublik did not give him another look-in.

Bublik will do battle with Jason Kubler for a place in the final after he defeated fellow Australian James Duckworth 7-5 7-6 (7-3).

Sebastian Baez ended Thiem's encouraging run to the quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 win in Bastad.

Thiem, who has endured an injury nightmare, won his first match 14 months by beating Emil Ruusuvuori in the first round and followed that up by getting the better of Roberto Bautista Agut, but the former US Open champion will go no further.

Argentinian Baez will now come up against Andrey Rublev after the second seed from Russia saw off Laslo Djere 7-5 6-4.

Pablo Carreno Busta blew Diego Schwartzman away in a 6-1 6-0 thrashing, while Francisco Cerundolo got past Aslan Karatsev in straight sets.

Dominic Thiem declared he is "definitely back" after reaching the Swedish Open quarter-finals, while Hall of Fame Open favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out in the second round. 

Thiem earned his first tour-level win in 14 months by downing Emil Ruusuvuori on his Bastad debut, before reaching his first quarter-final of the season by overcoming Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday.

The Austrian battled to a 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4 victory over the fourth-seeded Bautista Agut, picking up his first top-20 win since beating Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals in 2020.

Sebastian Baez, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, awaits in the next round and former world number three Thiem is ready for the task.

"The win against Emil gave me confidence that I can compete against the best players in the world and today against Roberto," said Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion.

"He is always such a tough opponent. I was expecting and hoping it would be a close match. Then when I won the first set in the tie-break I said 'Hey, I can win today.' 

"I had the belief until the end of the match and the third set was really good. It is a process. I beat Ruusuvuori and today I beat Bautista Agut.

"Two really top opponents, so if I can beat them I am definitely back. I am into the quarters of a really strong tournament, so I am happy. It is a process, but I am going the right way."

Second seed Andrey Rublev was made to work for his 7-5 4-6 7-6 (7-2) victory over Federico Coria and will meet Laslo Djere, who defeated Marc-Andrea Huesler in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime resumed his match with Jason Kubler in Newport that was suspended due to bad light on Wednesday with a slight advantage but fell to a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) second-round loss.

That marked a first top-10 victory for Kubler, continuing his fine 2022 season that saw him achieve his best major result at Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round at the All England Club.

Fourth seed Maxime Cressy is yet to drop his serve at the tournament but needed to survive a first-set scare against fellow American Steve Johnson to triumph 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-4.

Second favourite John Isner will meet Cressy in the semi-finals after battling past fifth seed Benjamin Bonzi 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5).

Andy Murray stormed to a straight-sets win over Sam Querrey at the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island, while 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem earned his first victory in over a year in Sweden.

Murray needed less than an hour to record a 6-2 6-0 triumph over the big-serving American, setting up a last-16 meeting with Australia's Max Purcell.

Three-time grand slam champion Murray hobbled out of his last meeting with Querrey at the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017, a defeat which marked the start of his injury woes.

But he produced a polished display on the grass to wrap up his eighth career win over the American on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Rhode Island, eighth seed James Duckworth battled to a 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Liam Broady, and seventh seed Jiri Vesely raced to a 6-4 6-2 triumph against Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Meanwhile, Thiem ended a 426-day wait for a Tour-level win by overcoming Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) at the Swedish Open.

The Austrian, who has won 17 career titles, halted a run of 10 consecutive losses on the ATP Tour with his first triumph since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May 2021.

The 28-year-old expressed his delight at ending his drought in the aftermath, saying: "It's a long time. My last victory was in Rome in 2021, it feels like a different world somehow.

"Many, many things happened. It was tough, but it was also a very good experience I think, for life in general. I'm so happy that I got this first victory here today."

Thiem will face fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16, while Sebastien Baez will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the former beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

The round of 32 did see two shock exits, however, with seventh seed Holger Rune succumbing to a 6-3 6-3 defeat against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler, and Nikoloz Basilashvili being forced to retire at one set down against Hugo Gaston.

Also, Francisco Cerundolo beat Pedro Sousa to set up an enticing clash with top seed Casper Ruud.

Dominic Thiem halted a run of 426 days without a win at ATP Tour level on Tuesday, ending a dismal chapter in the career of the former US Open champion.

The Austrian, who has won 17 titles and earned $26.8million (£22.5m) in prize money, finally got another victory when he fended off Emil Ruusuvuori in round one of the Swedish Open.

It was a first success at tour level for 28-year-old Thiem since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May of last year.

He did it the hard way too, coming from a set down and prevailing in a deciding-set tie-break, winning the match 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5).

It brought to an end a run of 10 consecutive defeats on the ATP Tour for the former world number three, who won the US Open in 2020 but has plunged to 339th in the rankings.

Thiem recently elected to skip Wimbledon in an effort to work on his game. His losing run was interrupted by a nine-month lay-off with a wrist injury, which he suffered in a match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships in June 2021.

Since returning to action he had lost six ATP Tour matches in succession. A first sign of form returning came with a first-round win last week in Salzburg on the Challenger Tour, the level below the main tour, although he was beaten by Facundo Bagnis in his next match.

Thiem will look to keep up his progress when he faces Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in round two in Bastad.

Dominic Thiem admitted he needs more time to be able to complete after his frustrating return from injury continued with a "painful" French Open first-round exit to Hugo Dellien.

Thiem also hinted he could drop down to play a couple of ATP Challenger-level tournaments, having struggled upon his return from a wrist injury which ruled him out for the second half of last season.

The 2020 US Open winner, who was runner-up to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in both 2018 and 2019, arrived in the French capital on a six-match losing run, and Dellien took full advantage of the Austrian's woes to claim a 6-3 6-2 6-4 win.

Speaking after a comprehensive defeat in which he was broken four times, Thiem acknowledged he is not operating at the necessary level to compete at grand slams.

"It was not a good match at all, but it is what it is," a dejected Thiem said post-match.

"You've got to take time, as the level is extremely high from all the players competing here, and I'm not there yet. I was really working hard to get there, but the time was just not enough, I've got to accept it.

"Even though there have been some really painful defeats now week after week, still nothing unexpected happened. Had I won a lot of matches, it would have been a big surprise, so it's painful.

"I'm very disappointed, but the wait goes on."

Since his comeback, the former world number three has only won one set of tennis in seven matches - at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella in March - and he thinks a return to that level could aid his recovery.

"The problem is a match situation is something different; [in a] grand slam especially," he added. "I am definitely thinking to go back to Challenger level for one or two tournaments.

"I am more tight, more nervous, and the whole body gets more tight. This is toxic to my forehand because I am still missing the fine feeling there."

Dominic Thiem's miserable return from injury took another turn for the worse when he was dumped out of the French Open by the unheralded Hugo Dellien on day one.

Thiem, who missed the second half of last season due to a wrist injury, arrived at Roland Garros on a six-match losing streak.

The Austrian was totally out of sorts once again on Court Simonne-Mathieu and Colombian Dellien capitalised, winning 6-3 6-2 6-4 on Sunday.

A two-time runner-up at the clay-court grand slam in Paris, Thiem has only won one set in seven matches since making his comeback - and that was at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella in March.

The 2020 US Open champion racked up 42 unforced errors and did not have a solitary break point on another difficult day.

The 28-year-old had a first-serve success rate of only 59 per cent as world number 87 Dellien moved through to round two at Roland Garros for only the second time.

Thiem struck 29 winners to Dellien's 15, but the former world number three was broken four times as he crashed out.

Dominic Thiem will head to the French Open on the back of six consecutive defeats after he was knocked out of the Geneva Open by Marco Cecchinato.

Thiem missed the second half of last season due to a wrist injury and has won only one set in six matches since returning at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Marbella in March.

The 2020 US Open champion's latest loss came at the hands of Marco Cecchinato, who prevailed 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round on Monday.

A two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, Austrian Thiem will travel to Paris struggling to return to form following such a long absence.

Cecchinato had lost all 11 matches this year, but has won three in Geneva without losing a set after coming through qualifying and will now face Kamil Majchrzak.

Federico Delbonis, the seventh seed, beat Ricardas Berankis 6-4 6-4, while French duo Richard Gasquet and Benoit Paire made it through to the last 16 along with Ilya Ivashka.

There will be no fairytale win for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who will retire after the French Open, at the Lyon Open after he suffered a 6-4 6-4 loss to Alex Molcan.

Eighth seed Pedro Martinez was knocked out by Yosuke Watanuki in the first round, but Karen Khachanov beat Gilles Simon 6-1 6-4 and Lucas Pouille was also beaten in his homeland, falling to Oscar Otte.