Santiago (Chile), Mar 1 (AP) Former No 3-ranked and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem has continued to struggle on clay courts courts in South America as he works his way back from right wrist and abdominal injuries.

The 29-year-old Austrian lost to Christian Garin on Tuesday in the first round of the Chile Open, his third consecutive tournament on clay.

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Garin won 6-2 7-6 (2) to advance to the round of 16 and will next play Sebastian Baez.

Thiem has slipped down the rankings to 99th after claiming just one singles victory on tour this year — against Alex Molcan at the Argentina Open earlier in February.

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Since then, he has lost all three matches he played in Buenos Aires, at the Rio Open and against home favorite Garin in Chile.

Also on Tuesday, Thiago Monteiro beat fifth-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5 4-6 7-5 to move into a match against Marco Cecchinato, who earlier beat Facundo Bagnis 6-2 3-6 7-6(3).

Top-seeded Lorenzo Musetti will play his first match in the tournament on Wednesday. AP

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)