US Open 2020: Dominic Thiem fights back to beat Alexander Zverev.
He had lost three consecutive Grand Slam finals: the 2018 and 2019 French Opens, followed by
the Australian Open earlier this year.
Zverev was aiming to become Germany's first Grand Slam men's champion since Boris Becker
at the 1996 Australian Open.
Austria's Dominic Thiem clinched his first Grand Slam title after a gritty fightback
from two sets down stunned Alexander Zverev in the US Open final.
Second seed Thiem, 27, had lost his previous three major finals and looked destined for
another agonising defeat.
But 23-year-old Zverev, playing in his first Slam final, became edgy at key moments and
Thiem took full advantage.
Both players failed to serve out victory in a tense decider before Thiem sealed a 2-6
4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (8-6) win.
Thiem took his third championship point when Zverev pulled a backhand wide, leaving the
Austrian falling flat on his back in celebration.
When he climbed back to his feet, he found a gracious Zverev - with whom he is close
friends - waiting to hug him at the net.
"I wish we could have two winners today, we both deserve it," Thiem told Zverev, whom
he has known since they were juniors.
Thiem is the first player to claim a Grand Slam title from two sets down since Argentine
Gaston Gaudio at the French Open in 2004.
It had been longer since anyone achieved this feat in New York, with Thiem emulating American
Pancho Gonzales' comeback in 1949.
Thiem, who remains third in the world rankings, is the first man to win a maiden Grand Slam
singles title since Croat Marin Cilic's 2014 US Open victory.
The absence of 2019 champion Rafael Nadal and Swiss great Roger Federer at the behind-closed-doors
Grand Slam, plus the expulsion of top seed Novak Djokovic for hitting a line judge with
a ball, opened the door for a new name to be etched on to a major trophy.
Thiem took his opportunity to become the first man outside the 'Big Three' to win the Australian
Open, French Open, Wimbledon or US Open since Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka triumphed at Flushing
Meadows in 2016.
Thiem overcomes edgy start to fulfil Grand Slam dream
While this final was not of the same ilk as some recent Grand Slam classics, it developed
into a gripping contest which was impossible to call right up to the very last ball.
Odd moments of brilliance from both players were outweighed by mistakes, with the match
eventually won by a battle of the minds as much as their techniques.
Thiem was the favourite to take advantage of the absence of the 'Big Three' and finally
land his maiden Grand Slam title.
The Austrian had lost the past two French Open finals to Nadal, who cemented his place
as the greatest clay-courter of all-time by winning his 11th and 12th titles at Roland
Garros.
Then he lost February's Australian Open final against Djokovic, who claimed a record eighth
title in Melbourne.
So this was the first major final where the world number three was not playing one of
the game's greats.
Whether his jittery start came as a result of that additional expectation to achieve
his ultimate career goal, or perhaps an Achilles injury that bothered him in Friday's semi-final
against Daniil Medvedev, was unclear.
Eventually, he settled down to the task after trailing by two sets and a break.
Thiem started to land more first serves and find more fizz in his returning game, as well
as being aided by Zverev's own edginess starting to appear in the third and fourth sets.
Momentum had now swung back to the Austrian and when he broke serve in the first game
of the decider, it seemed like that might have been the catalyst for him to close out
victory relatively comfortably.
That was not the case as the drama stepped up.
Thiem hit a double fault on break point in the next game, then fought back from 0-30
in the sixth game after a stunning forehand winner down the line.
Little separated the pair as they were locked at 3-3, having won 139 points each in the
match, and led to that riveting finale where they split four breaks of serves before the
tie-break decided the outcome.
Like Thiem, Zverev was also aiming to fulfil his much vaunted potential by winning a first
Grand Slam title.
The 23-year-old made a confident start in his first major final as he moved into a two-set
lead, but some of his weaknesses - particularly the tendency to hit double faults under pressure
- began to appear.
Two double faults in the fifth-set tie-break gave the upper hand to Thiem, who eventually
got over the line despite struggling physically in the final moments.
Zverev's heartbreak at the manner of his defeat was clear, breaking down in tears as he struggled
through his runner-up speech.
He cried as he tried to thank his parents Alexander - also his coach - and Irina who
were not in New York after testing positive for coronavirus.
"I miss them.
I'm sure they are sitting at home pretty proud even though I lost.
I wish one day I can bring the trophy home," he said.
For so long Zverev had been touted as a major winner but had failed to deliver on the Grand
Slam stage.
That was until he reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open earlier
this year - where he lost to Thiem - and then backed that up by going one better in New
York.
"It was a tough battle and I wish you had missed a little bit more so I could lift that
trophy," he told Thiem.
"To my team, the last two years haven't been easy but we are definitely on our way up."
[News from BBC Sports]
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