Dominic Thiem continues hard-court surge with St. Petersburg title

Dominic Thiem pushes Rafael Nadal to the brink in New York:

Dominic Thiem is known as one of the best clay-court players but lately he has been surging on hard courts. In St. Petersburg on Sunday, he collected his first career indoor title on hard courts.

He had previously won eight titles on clay and one each on hard and grass, but not indoors.

The 25-year-old Austrian also reached his first Slam quarterfinal at the US Open, where he played Rafael Nadal in an enthralling encounter that went to a fifth-set tiebreak and took 4 hours, 49 minutes to complete.

Thiem quickly switched surfaces, winning two Davis Cup matches on clay, and then went to the indoor event at St. Petersburg.

"I could take my first indoor title, which would mean a lot to me," Thiem said before the final against Martin Klizan, which he won 6-3, 6-1 in straightforward fashion.

Thiem moves to No. 7 with the win, improving his position to qualify for the ATP Tour Finals.