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- In an attractive match at the ATP Finals in London, Dominic Thiem (ATP 3) defeated world number 2 Rafael Nadal 7: 6 (9: 7), 7: 6 (7: 4).
- They both display very attractive tennis at eye level for long stretches.
- With Stefanos Tsitsipas defeating Andrej Rublew in the night’s game, Thiem is early in the semi-finals.
The fact that the second set had to be decided in the tie-break was not a surprise to any observer of the match. The two opponents seemed too sovereign, the whole match was too balanced. The point ratio spoke volumes: in both sets, the point scores were exactly balanced until the respective tiebreakers.
Dominic Thiem remained insensitive twice on short decisions in the finals and won the intensive game after nearly two and a half hours with 7: 6 (9: 7), 7: 6 (7: 4).
The following also shows how incredibly close the matter was:
- Only after 80 minutes played and the score of 7: 6, 1: 0 witnessed the first break opportunity at London’s O2 Arena. Thiem defended this convincingly.
- The first real break of the game came even later: Nadal was able to break his Austrian counterpart’s serve in the second set to make it 4: 3. Whoever suspected a preliminary decision – far from it! Thiem responded with the prompt resumption.
It got exciting shortly before the second tiebreaker: after a mini sink and a bit of bad luck on the edge of the net on the Spaniard’s side, Thiem was suddenly taken out with 3 match balls. But Nadal held back and fought back against the 3, one of whom was also seasoned with a bit of a net advantage.
Thiem 1st semi-finalist
The game was not only even, but also high. The two true clay court specialists sometimes only fought against the winners, but at the same time saved themselves from the most delicate situations.
With Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrating a 3-set win against Russian Andrej Rublew in the night’s game, Thiem is definitely the first player to reach the semi-finals.
