Dominic Thiem out of UTS – How will this affect the event?

Dominic Thiem is out of the UTS after his stellar two weeks competing. Here’s why he withdrew and what the event will look like without him.

The UTS officially reported yesterday that Dominic Thiem will not be competing in the final two weeks of the event due to “other commitments”.

Why did he withdraw?

Thiem’s reasoning for withdrawing is due to his new “Thiem 7” tournament. Taking place from July 7th-11th in Kitzbuhel, the event will consist of eight total players in the ATP Finals format (similar to that of the UTS).T here will be a total of 8 players competing and will be divided into two groups of 4. The top two from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Who will take his place at the UTS?

The UTS confirmed on Twitter yesterday that The Underdog (Elliot Benchitrit) will be taking Thiem’s place for the final two weekends of the event.

Benchitrit currently holds a 1-2 match record, 5-8 quarter record, and -21 points differential. Unless he has an incredible 2-0 weekend to close out the group stage, he’ll likely not be in the top four heading into the elimination stage of the tournament.

Nevertheless, he’s a fan favorite for most watchers, given that’s he’s from France and he’s put together three great matches (defeating Lucas Pouille in the process during the first weekend).

How will Thiem’s withdrawal affect the final standings?

Thiem shot up the ranking last weekend, going 2-0 in wins over David Goffin and Matteo Berrettini, bringing his total to 3-1 (also defeated Tsitsipas the weekend before). He was locked into the fourth spot after that, behind Gasquet, Berrettini, and #1-ranked Tsitsipas.

Thiem was on a roll and looked like a huge threat to dethrone the top two once the elimination stage started. Luckily for the top two, they won’t have to face The Dominator for the remainder of the tournament.

Thiem’s exit certainly puts a large gap between the top two (Tsitsipas and Berrettini) and the second two (Gasquet in 3rd and Lopez now in 4th). Gasquet looked to be a good opponent but slightly faltered last weekend. With Thiem out of the way, the slew of players at 3-3 (Lopez, Goffin, Popyrin, and Moutet t 2-2) all have a chance to claim the 4th spot. None of them have been consistent multiple weeks in a row and shouldn’t pose a threat to the top.

Adjusted UTS Standings

1. Stefanos Tsitsipas (5-1, 16-10, +85)
2. Matteo Berrettini (4-2, 15-9, +50) 
3. Richard Gasquet (4-2, 15-11, +50)
4. Feliciano Lopez (3-3, 15-12, +29)
5. David Goffin (3-3, 14-12, +24)
6. Alexei Popyrin (3-3, 11-13, -29)
7. Corentin Moutet (2-2, 10-6, +22)
8. Benoit Paire (2-4, 8-16, -87)
9. Elliot Benchitrit (1-2, 5-8, -21)
10. Dustin Brown (0-5, 3-17, -120)