Dominic Thiem will have to wait a little longer to notch his first ATP win since making a comeback.
John Millman prevented Dominic Thiem from making a winning return by edging his match against the Austrian 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Serbia Open.
The former World No. 3 was competing in his first tour-level match since June following an injury layoff.
Although he showed glimpses of what he is capable of during the two-hour, 35-minute clash against the Australian, he ultimately ended up on the losing end.
Thiem struck his backhand aggressively but was unable to produce his best, with Millman breaking in the 10th game of the third set to advance.
There was speculation of a Thiem and Djokovic showdown in Belgrade after the draw was announced with the Serbian himself not playing the best tennis of his career.
The 28-year-old, who played at an ATP Challenger Tour event at the end of March, is a 17-time tour-level titlist, with 10 of his victories coming on clay.
With his victory, Millman claimed his first win in four career meetings against Thiem. World No. 80 will now meet Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
In Barcelona, the second-seeded Casper Ruud began the quest for his second title of the season by overcoming American Brandon Nakashima, 6-3, 6-2, to reach the third round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The Norwegian, who lifted the trophy on clay in Buenos Aires in February, soaked up Nakashima’s power as he broke four times to advance after 89 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
The 23-year-old, who reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami in March, will next play Alexander Bublik or Finn Emil Ruusuvuori.
