Dominic Thiem has secured his place in the US Open final after a hard-fought but surprising straight-sets victory over Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.
The Austrian didn’t have it easy against the third seed who was defeated by Rafael Nadal in last year’s final at Flushing Meadows, and each set was a battle in the 6-2 7-6 7-6 win.
Thiem enforced his dominance early on, taking the opening set 6-2, but really struggled to overcome the Russian which took two tie-breaks to get wrapped up.
For the second seed, the scoreline gives the suggestion of an easier win than it was as he was forced to battle back from deficits in the second and third sets.
Watch the match highlights below…
Thiem, however, was forced to have a physio examine his ankle before the third set and he slipped and fell twice in the match, but still managed to grind through the breakers 9-7 and 7-5 respectively.
“I played my best tennis then towards the end of the sets,” says Thiem.
“Both tie-breaks were amazing. Tie-breaks are mentally a tough thing. I don’t like them at all to be honest.
“I’m really happy to be through. It was a great semi-final.”
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A contentious decision in the sixth game had the first set turned on as Medvedev was serving. The 24-year-old looked to challenge late on a point after play continued despite his first serve being long – but his request was not acknowledged by the umpire.
Medvedev was then given a code violation after going to the other side of the net to highlight where his serve had landed, voicing his frustrations at the umpire and an official, stating: “US Open is a joke… sorry I think I killed someone.“
Thiem took the opening set against last year’s runner up, Medvedev, who was then broken again at 5-2.
Thiem level dropped at the start of the second set, allowing Medvedev to gain a valuable early break despite seeming to be in total control.
However, the now four-time Grand Slam finalist regained his confidence and broke back with his opponent serving for the set, before the second seed held his nerve to hold serve following a nine-minute 11th game.
The players were near inseparable in the subsequent tie-break until Thiem produced a forehand winner at 8-7.
Ultimately, Thiem showed class and determination to overcome the challenge in humid conditions in New York to set up a showpiece clash with Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
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