The Austrian won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2020, but he suffered a devastating wrist injury soon after and failed to return to his previous form.

He did, however, put in a strong performance to defeat 25th seed Bublik 6-3 6-2 6-4.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be with all of my memories,” Thiem added.

Thiem’s most recent Grand Slam victory came in the fourth round of the 2021 Australian Open.

In his previous six Grand Slam outings, he had lost in the first round.

It was fitting, however, that he found his form in New York, the city where he fought back to defeat Alexander Zverev and win a long-awaited major title.

“Today is a really wonderful day. “This first Grand Slam victory after this injury happened here at the US Open, and it means a lot to me,” Thiem said.

“It was my first major injury to my wrist, which is crucial to my game.” It simply needed time to recuperate and regain confidence in the wrist.”

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Thiem had faced a difficult opponent in Bublik, who had his finest Grand Slam run with a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon, but the Kazakh battled with consistency.

In an error-filled effort, he struck 17 double faults, and Thiem served out the match at the second try to set up a clash with emerging American talent Ben Shelton.

“The Grand Slam victory in 2020 came without a crowd (due to Covid-19 protocols), so I’m overjoyed that everyone is back.”

“I hope I can make another good run with all the energy from the crowd.”

Later that day, Novak Djokovic will play his first US Open match since 2021 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against world number 84 Alexandre Muller.

On Louis Armstrong Stadium, seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will face former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, who is returning to the sport after nearly two years out due to injuries.