Dominic Thiem wins US Open final in tiebreaker against Alexander Zverev after five-set thriller | 2020 United States Tennis Open



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Novak Djokovic may still be the best player in men’s tennis, but in the face of the self-inflicted absence of world number one, Dominic Thiem, 27, can boast of leading the charge of the new wave of contenders after beating 23 years. Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 US Open on Sunday night.

Djokovic, 33, is waiting with Rafael Nadal, 34, for these impatient climbers to appear on the clay in Rome this week (Roger Federer remains at home resting his 39-year-old knees), and beyond that is Roland Garros. , the crushed and final blow of a disconnected and crazy season. Regardless of what Federer and Serena Williams believe, age is not just a number; it’s a pain in the butt.

The old guard could only watch from a distance in their various hotel rooms or mansions as Thiem won a Grand Slam final on the fourth attempt, beating his opponent 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. in exactly four hours in front of family, friends, and staff at the virus-cleaned Arthur Ashe Stadium. He is the first player in 71 years to come from two sets down to win the title.

Thiem told his old friend on the court: “We started getting to know each other in 2014 and immediately developed a great friendship, and in 2016 our rivalry began. We made great things happen on and off the court. I wish we could have two winners today. We both deserved it. You will achieve it, 100%, you will make your parents proud. “

Zverev, fighting back tears as he spoke of missing his parents, said: “It was a tough battle, but here I am giving the runners-up speech. I wish one day I could bring the trophy home. “

Thiem, the 55th Open-era men’s slam champion, is the first newcomer to the top table since Marin Cilic won his first and only major so far by breaking the spell of the Big Three here in 2014.

America may be the land of tumult and change, but the men’s game is still ruled from Europe; the 43 male champions of the last decade come from the “old world”. And that’s where the next chapter of the 2020 season will be played.

Thiem’s ​​initial mobility was hampered by a pre-existing Achilles problem, although he was not an easy target. Still, few imagined that Zverev would break the Austrian’s game the way he did. The German hit a series of aces and forehand, as expected, but made subtle changes in pace and depth to keep his opponent guessing in their 10th encounter.

Zverev reached his first slam final wielding by far the biggest weapons: 116 aces to Thiem’s ​​41 (same as Naomi Osaka, 29 fewer than Serena Williams). But no one in the draw came close to Zverev’s 49 double faults, and his shaky second serve came back to haunt him in the later stages of the match.

Alexander Zverev hugs Dominic Thiem at the end of the match
Alexander Zverev hugs Dominic Thiem at the end of the match. Photograph: Justin Lane / EPA

He’s not always a sure or quick starter, he gave up just three points on his serve in the first set, broke Thiem twice and, with four aces out of 16 winners, took the frame in half an hour to establish the ideal platform.

In the third game of the second set, Zverev landed a 103 mph forehand on his way to another break that drained the spirit and was comfortably on top of every aspect of his game. Thiem was drowning.

In this year’s Melbourne final, Thiem found reserves that pushed Djokovic to the limit in a five-set fight that the Austrian came close to winning. He didn’t need to recall here that he was one of five players to start 0-3 in the slam finals.

Pinned down behind the baseline, he dropped serve to fall behind 1-4. Within an hour, he looked knocked out, but the most stubborn fighter on the tour saved two break points to extend the second set beyond the hour, broke down and stayed in love for 4-5. But, as soon as tension invaded the nearly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium, he floated away in the afternoon breeze as Zverev posted a fanged-less serve to finish the job and gain a two-set lead.

Just as Thiem’s ​​stamina seemed to be waning, he exchanged pauses in the third. He was going to make his friend sweat. Now every game was closed, every point treasured. Zverev held on to two in the eighth game, but his serving nerves came back at the worst and he handed Thiem the set at a plate.

The initial certainty had faded, the rallies got longer, which suited Thiem better than Zverev, who must have thought the title was his when he had two sets. Back in the duty cycle, he had to convince himself that he could win with every close game pass. Where once there was demolition, there was now excavation, as Zverev had to repeatedly dig through the holes in the fourth set.

Nerves continued to vibrate at both ends, but louder for Zverev, and Thiem served to tie two sets each. Only four slam winners have come back from two sets down in the Open era, all of them at the French OpenBut it was Zverev who seemed overwhelmed by the story.

Zverev’s head fell as he landed a forehand to drop serve early in the deciding frame, but Thiem, who had recorded 13 double faults in six games, scored his seventh of the night to return the favor. There is no pressure like the final of a grand slam.

An ace of 15, struck with the kind of conviction that had been absent for at least an hour, kept Zverev out front. Thiem’s ​​serve wobbled with an eighth double fault, but he managed a shaky grip for 3-3 with some venomous groundstrokes. This was a gamer’s nightmare.

Thiem eventually broke for 3-5, pushing a tired backhand into the trolley lines, and Zverev stepped up to finish a job he should have put to bed much earlier. He was two points away from the championship but killed a volley and the game stayed alive.

Limping again, Thiem found two notable winners to hold at 5-5, then forced another break and moved closer to serve for the title. Almost at the right time, the plot twisted once again, Zverev broke to force the tie-break.

And there the drama condensed into 14 points, Zverev gifted two of them to his opponent with double faults, Thiem wasted two match points before creating another and saw Zverev’s final backhand swing harmlessly to end a curious but meaningful final.



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