[ad_1]
Against 20-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) in the round of 16 and also against 21-year-old quarter-final opponent Alex de Miñaur (AUS), 27-year-old Lower Austria had more experience. But now she is waiting for Medvedev, 24, who was also on the verge of winning the title at the US Open last year.
Auger-Aliassime and De Miñaur are “incredible” players for Thiem, “but they are still very young and they will probably need another year or more until they can maintain this superior level for three, four or five sets. Medvedev does not lack that at all, he plays very well, and secondly, he plays at his highest level for the duration of the game, “he said at the press conference after the semifinals.
Thiem meets Medvedev
Dominic Thiem has a tough job waiting for Daniil Medvedev in the US Open semi-final game.
“It sure will be a great game”
Medvedev doesn’t have big fluctuations in performance. “He almost beat Rafael Nadal after 0-2 sets in the final last year,” recalled Thiem. But he himself also delivered one of his best quarter-final matches to the Spanish superstar two years ago in the US Open quarter-finals. “The same applies to me: of course, I can also play at the highest level for four or five hours. My job will be to call exactly that, and if that happens, it will be a great match for sure, ”Thiem predicted.
In any case, it should be much better than the last two games with Medvedev. Thiem leads 2-1 head-to-head, but the final victory in Barcelona (6-4 6-0) and the quarter-final defeat in Montreal (3-6 1-6), both in the previous year, did not serve as a reference. “In Barcelona he was completely in the final and escaped, in Montreal I was not present, so I came from Kitzbühel at that time,” recalls the world number three.
Duel at eye level
“On Friday, if someone doesn’t get sick, things will be very different. We both played well, and I think both of us, with Sascha Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, are the closest to the big three. As for our level, but also playing this level for a long time in a Grand Slam match. I hope I can do that, that’s my job. It plays well without big holes. “
He also managed to do that against De Minaur in the 6: 1 6: 2 6: 4 hit, with the exception of a short hang in the third set. “I kept telling myself that I had to be careful and be on guard. In the third sentence it got very tight again. If I lose my prayer, everything looks completely different. “
Thiem was as pleased with his combination of offense and defense as he was with his part. “It will also be important for the next game to give Medvedev different meeting points, because at a certain point he does not make mistakes, especially on the backhand.”
Medvedev with minor problems
Medvedev received a shoulder treatment in the quarterfinals against Andrei Rublev. “My shoulder just started to hurt a bit,” said the Russian. On 7: 6 (8/6) 6: 3 7: 6 (7/5) success over his compatriot physically challenged him, Medvedev also admitted that he had “a bit of cramps”.
The world number five had to correct himself a bit against opponent Thiem. Dominic is a tough opponent, especially on clay, of course. I felt that in the final in Barcelona last year. It’s a bit easier on hard court, but if I say easier: I was in the final of the Australian Open. It will be easier for me on hard courts than on sand. “
“A nice side note”
And on the hard court at Flushing Meadows, Thiem also became the first Austrian in the semi-finals. Thomas Muster was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 1993, 1994 and 1996, on the first attempt he had awarded two match points against Russian Alexander Volkov.
The fact that he is the first ÖTV player in the bottom four in New York means nothing to Thiem. “I really do not care. I myself am happy to be in the semi-finals for the first time. I also hope for all tennis in Austria that I will not be the last to achieve it. It’s a nice side note, but nothing more, it’s nice to read, but it won’t help me in the semi-finals. “
US Open in New York, Men’s Singles
(US $ 21,656,000 hard court)
