In Rio de Janeiro, Dominic Thiem demonstrated that he is one of the world’s top players. He won the tournament without losing a set as he ripped one spectacular stroke after another. He was solid, played confidently and fought to defend last year's performance.

While he did not face any other top-ten ranked players, he competed against clay specialists such as Albert Ramos-Vinolas (world no.25) and Pablo Carreño (world no.24), and proved to be superior.

In the final, Thiem reacted immediately to an early service break by breaking back, tying the first set at three games apiece, and he continued to fight until he broke the serve of his opponent for a second time to win the set 7-5.

With the first set in his favor, Thiem’s game developed as he exhibited more confidence and it was Carreño who attempted, but failed to come back.  Historically, Thiem has been dominant after winning the first set. He has an impressive record of 102-17 when he takes the opening set.

Much like last year, he has taken advantage of the first clay tournaments of the season, and has found his best level of play, appears confident, and has gained momentum for the upcoming spring clay season. His positive record on dirt continues to increase, and is now 64-25.

In 2016, Thiem won the title at the Buenos Aires ATP 250 event (with a victory against Rafael Nadal in semis) and reached the semifinals in Rio de Janeiro. After these results, he arrived at the Acapulco ATP 500 event in great form and won the title, playing high-quality tennis on the hard surface.

What can be expected from Thiem in the coming months? It's always difficult to predict, but this year, to retain his solid top-ten ranking, he must defend the points he won last year which pushed him to his peak world no. 7 ranking. He finished 2016 at number 8 and will have the tricky task of attempting to maintain his high ranking as the season progresses.

However, he has certainly begun this task in an excellent way. Next up, he will look to defend his title in Acapulco, a tournament that features Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic and Nick Kyrgios among others. Thiem has a competitive draw, and though it will not be easy as surprises should be expected, he has a solid chance to reach the semis where he would face Djokovic if the favorites prevail.

Thiem has shown his potential on clay and with the next major being the French Open, if he arrives in Paris in great physical shape, he'll be a candidate to break through and win his first slam at Roland Garros. In 2016, he lost in the semifinals there against Djokovic, who was at the top of his game.  Given his current level of play, the Austrian is one to keep a keen eye on as there are signs that 2017 could be his time.