BSP-05 Thiem dethrones Zverev to set up London final against Tsitsipas

223

ZCZC

BSP-05

TENNIS-GBR-ATP-FINALS

Thiem dethrones Zverev to set up London final against Tsitsipas

LONDON, Nov 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Dominic Thiem beat defending champion
Alexander Zverev on Saturday to join Roger Federer’s conqueror Stefanos
Tsitsipas in the final of the ATP Finals in London.

The Austrian fifth seed saw off the big-serving German 7-5, 6-3 after
Greece’s Tsitsipas, making his debut at the tournament, had earlier beaten
Federer 6-3, 6-4.

Thiem is playing in his fourth ATP Finals but during his first three trips
to the season finale, he won only three matches and never advanced out of the
group stage at the O2 Arena.

Zverev landed 75 percent of his first serves but Thiem was tougher in the
big moments, breaking in the 12th game of the opening set and in the sixth
game of the second set.

The Austrian also saved all four break points on his racquet.

Germany’s Zverev, who beat Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, went toe
to toe with Thiem in a relatively uneventful first set but served a double
fault to lose the opener 7-5.

The seventh seed, 22, regrouped and settled back into his serving rhythm
at the beginning of the second set but was broken again to trail 4-2.

Thiem, looking unflustered, fended off a couple of break points in the
following game and served out to take the match, winning with a forehand down
the line.

“This is a big, big dream coming true for me, it is one of the biggest and
most prestigious tournaments of the whole year and I’m getting the chance to
play the final,” said Thiem.

The 26-year-old, who reached the final of this year’s French Open, has
been considered a clay-court specialist but joked after winning indoors in
Vienna last month and now reaching the final in London he was becoming a
“big, big fan of faster hard surfaces”.

– Tsitsipas snuffs out Federer –

Earlier, Tsitsipas, 17 years younger than Federer, ended the 38-year-old’s
hopes of securing a seventh year-end title.

Federer was unrecognisable from the player who dominated Djokovic in his
final round-robin match, struggling on serve and hitting a total of 26
unforced errors compared with just five against the Serbian.

But Tsitsipas belied his years with a performance full of confidence and
grit, saving 11 out of 12 break points during the match.

“I’m so proud of myself today, a great performance and once again the
people were great,” he said.

“I really enjoyed myself on the court and sometimes in matches like these
you wonder how you recover from difficulties and break point down.”

Tsitsipas, ignoring loud support for Federer, broke the Swiss at the first
time of asking, taking advantage of two missed overheads.

The Greek was forced to dig deep in a dramatic 13-minute final game of the
first set in which he saved two break points and needed seven set points to
close it out 6-3.

Federer was in deep trouble when Tsitsipas broke him to love in the third
game of the second set but he finally made a break point count to level at 2-
2.

Undaunted, Tsitsipas, dominating rallies from the back of the court, broke
again straight away with a forehand cross-court winner for a 3-2 lead.

At 5-4 down Federer knew he had to break Tsitsipas for only the second
time in the match.

The Greek slipped to 15-40 down but Federer again could not take
advantage, spraying a forehand out to give his opponent a match point and he
won with a thundering ace.

“I’m frustrated I couldn’t play better, and when I did and fought my way
back, I threw it away again,” said the Swiss.

“It was also parts of him. He did come up with the goods when he had to
and he was better than me today.”

BSS/AFP/MSY/0909 hrs