US Open 2020, Dominic Thiem wins maiden title: Records broken
Number two seed Dominic Thiem, on Sunday, pulled off a historic comeback to win his maiden US Open title. He defeated seventh-ranked Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in the final, having secured his first-ever Slam title. Notably, he is only the second player to come from two sets down in a US Open final. Here are the records broken.
How did the final pan out?
In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic finals, a fifth-set tiebreak separated Thiem and Zverev. The German quickly raced to a 6-2, 5-1 lead and then quickly clinched the second set as well. However, Thiem staged a resounding comeback in the third set. He then won the next two sets, winning the historic tiebreak by a margin of 8-6.
First to rally from two sets down since Pancho Gonzalez
With a stunning effort, Thiem became the first man to win from two sets down in a US Open final since Pancho Gonzalez (1949). Overall, he is the fifth in Open Era to win a Grand Slam final after dropping two sets. Others to have attained the distinction are- Bjorn Borg (1974), Ivan Lendl (1984), Andre Agassi (1999) and Gaston Gaudio (2004).
Second Austrian to win a Grand Slam
Thiem is only the second Austrian player to win a Grand Slam, after Thomas Muster (1995 Roland Garros). The 27-year-old is also the first player born in the 1990s to do so. This was the fourth major final for Thiem. Interestingly, Andy Murray was the last player (aged below 30) to have won a men's singles Grand Slam title (2016 Wimbledon).
Youngest to win a Grand Slam since Del Potro (2009)
At 27, Thiem is the youngest man to win a Grand Slam title since Del Potro (2009). Overall, this is the 42nd consecutive occasion, where a European player won the Slam. The last non-European player to win it was also Del Potro (in 2009).
Other records broken in the match
This was the fourth five-setter men's singles final at the US Open in the 21st century. The others are - Juan Martin Del Potro vs Roger Federer (2009), Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic (2012), Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev (2019). Notably, all four Slam finals have gone to a fifth set since 2019 (2019 Wimbledon, 2019 US Open, 2020 Australian Open, 2020 US Open).
