Australian Open: Dominic Thiem beats Alexander Zverev to reach final
Fifth seed, Dominic Thiem of Austria, came up with an uplifting performance as he tamed Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semis of the ongoing Australian Open on Friday. Both men, who were bidding to reach their maiden final of the tournament, took the tie to four sets with a splendid display of gameplay. Here is the match report.
How did the match pan out?
The match began on a strong note for the German, who was lethal with his power strokes from the baseline, as he claimed the opening set 6-3. However, Thiem was watchful in the following set and earned a break to win 6-4. Both upped their ante in the third and fourth set, which reached tie-breakers, where the Austrian prevailed 7-3 and 7-4.
Thiem reaches his maiden AO final, third overall
With this win, Thiem managed to reach his maiden final of the AO, in what is his seventh appearance. Overall, it would be his third appearance in the final, with the previous two coming at the French Open. This was his 17th singles win at the tournament, with a win percentage of around 70. Overall, it is his 60th singles win at Slams.
Come Sunday, will it be finally Thiem's time to shine?
Zverev's bid for maiden Slam final has to wait
As for Zverev, he would still have to wait to make his maiden final appearance at the Slams. While it was his maiden semis appearance across Slams, this was his fifth singles loss at the tournament, as he has a win percentage of around 70. Overall, it was his 19th singles loss across Slams, with the same winning percentage.
Reaching the AO final is unreal to Thiem
Following the win, Thiem said that it was an unreal moment for him to reach the final, as he was still recovering from the tough match against Rafael Nadal. "I had trouble in the first set, both of us were nervous. It was a tough start for me. In a Grand Slam semi-final, there will be many key chances, many key moments," he said.
I try my best, try my best to win: Thiem
"I try to be patient! Twice I've been in the Roland Garros final and faced Nadal. Now, I face King of Australia in Djokovic. I try my best, try my best to win," added Thiem.
Thiem feels Zverev's Slam final is not far away
Thiem to take on Novak Djokovic in the final
With this win, Thiem has set a date with Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. Djokovic, who is ranked number two, would be bidding for his record-extending eighth AO title. Overall, the Serbian leads 6-4 in head-to-head with the Austrian.
