Dominic Thiem won the Rio Open on his favorite surface of clay Sunday in a tournament victory which he hopes will jump-start his season after a slow start.
Thiem claimed his eighth ATP singles title and his sixth on clay with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain.
Now he's off to Acapulco for this week's Mexican Open, which he won last year on Acapulco's hardcourts.
"Of course it's not easy," said Thiem, who was to fly Sunday to Acapulo, where six of the ATP's top 10 are playing. "I did the same last year, and it worked out pretty well. It's not the greatest preparation, but I hope I can make it one more time. The confidence is pretty high now. I feel great the way I'm playing."
The Austrian is ranked No 8 by the ATP and was seeded second in Rio. But he became the favorite as soon as top-seeded Kei Nishikori was beaten in the first round. He won all matches in Rio, and didn't drop a set.
Carreno Busta is now winless in four matches against Thiem. For some consolation, the Spaniard won the doubles title on Saturday with teammate Pablo Cuevas, defeating Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4, 5-7, 10-8.
Thiem's victory comes on the night of the first of two parades at the Sambadrome, with another set for Monday in a street stadium likely to draw 80,000 revelers.
Thiem said he saw just a tiny bit of the Carnival atmosphere, getting a look at one of hundreds of Rio block parties during the week. "It was right on the street," Thiem said of a block party near his hotel. "It was pretty impressive."
In receiving his trophy, he said he'd like to come back. But there are reports the event may be moved off clay to the new Olympic tennis arena and its hardcourt set up. "Enjoy the rest of the Carnival," Thiem said on center court as he accepted his trophy from three-time French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten.
Raonic withdraws, Sock wins
DElRAY BEACH: Top-seeded Milos Raonic withdrew from the Delray Beach Open final Sunday after injuring his hamstring a day earlier, giving the title to Jack Sock.
Raonic slightly tore his right hamstring Saturday night, feeling a sharp pain while chasing down a drop shot in his semifinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro.
Raonic tried to ignore the discomfort, opting to go to sleep and hoping he would feel fine in the morning. Instead, after getting two hours of treatment, the 26-year-old Canadian ranked fourth in the world hobbled onto a practice court where Sock was warming up and announced he would be unable to play.
The third-seeded Sock wound up with his second title of the year and moved up to a career-best 18th in the ATP rankings. The 24-year-old also won last month in New Zealand and helped the US reach the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup.
Sock is 11-1 this year, with his only loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of the Australian Open.
Only Roger Federer, who won the Australian Open, has a better winning percentage that Sock this year. He also helped lead the US to the Davis Cup quarterfinals with a first-round win over Switzerland.
Tsonga wins all-French final
MARSEIllE: Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won a second title in as many weeks by defeating fellow Frenchman lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-4 Sunday in the Open 13 final. The 11th-ranked Tsonga put on a nearly flawless performance on his serve to win his 14th career title at the indoor event. Tsonga hit seven aces, dropped only three points on his first serve and did not face a single break point.