Published 10:16 IST, September 14th 2020
Dominic Thiem becomes first man to win US Open final from 2 sets down, netizens amazed
US Open 2020: Dominic Thiem made a remarkable comeback on Sunday against Alexander Zverev to claim his maiden Grand Slam title. Fans laud the Austrian.
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On Sunday, Dominic Thiem became the first man in the Open era (first since 1939) to come back from two sets down to win the US Opens. After dropping the opening two sets against Alexander Zverev at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Thiem turned the game head over heels, winning the next three sets to earn his maiden Grand Slam title. For the 27-year-old, it was fourth-time lucky as he finally added a Grand Slam title to his trophy collection after losing in three finals - twice against Rafael Nadal in French Open and most recently, against Novak Djokovic in Australian Open 2020.
Dominic Thiem is the first man to come back from two sets down in a US Open singles final in the Open era.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 14, 2020
Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/4QkQMF6INM
US Open 2020 finals: Thiem vs Zverev
Thiem advanced to the US Open 2020 finals without dropping a single set, beating the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger Aliassime, Marin Cilic and Sumit Nagal in previous rounds. Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev generally enjoyed a slow start in most of his matches, dropping the opening two sets against Pablo Carreno Busta in the semi-finals and losing the first set to Borna Coric in the quarter-finals. However, the 23-year-old German star defied odds to become the youngest finalist at a major championship since Novak Djokovic at the 2010 US Open.
In a surprising turn of events, the final saw Alexander Zverev make an explosive start, winning the first two sets to put himself in a commanding position to take the title. However, Thiem fired back to win the next two sets to set up a thrilling climax to the finale. As it approached the four-hour mark, the game became more of a test of mental fortitude than technical prowess. A back-and-forth final phase of the set saw both Zverev and Thiem fail to make their chances count to earn the crucial championship points.
At one point, Zverev came within two points of victory but was pulled back by a relenting Thiem. Eventually, it was the more experienced of the two, who came out on top despite the barrage of errors from both parties. Thiem won 163 points as compared to Zverev's 159.
The Austrian broke his Grand Slam deadlock with a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory. It was a historic night for Thiem, who became the 150th Grand Slam champion and the first champion born in the 1990s. The 27-year-old is only the second Austrian men's tennis star to win a major championship after Thomas Muster (1995 Roland Garros).
Netizens react to Dominic Thiem making history at US Open 2020
Living the Thiem dream. 🤗@ThiemDomi #USOpen pic.twitter.com/T0NyB4aHsk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 14, 2020
Better angle of their special handshake. #USOpen #Thiem #Zverev pic.twitter.com/Kf7CRnp4zq
— Ashish 🎾🎥 (@tennis_gifs) September 14, 2020
🎾 Congratulations to Dominic Thiem - the #USOpen 2020 men’s champion - a great comeback
— Jonathan Pinfield 🎾 (@tweetsbyjp) September 14, 2020
Sascha Zverev battled hard throughout the championship, so close
A great Final, I’m convinced they’ll both go onto win Grand Slams in future
What a rivalry - and what a friendship👌 pic.twitter.com/SSe8vbS3hM
Tennis can be a brutal sport. Gutted for Sascha, his speech was so emotional. 😢
— ʀᴇᴇɢᴀɴ...♡ (@iReegan6) September 14, 2020
Congrats to Thiem. Fought through the pain and pulled off an unbelievable turnaround! #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ZDN6PXvv1K
Also Read | Dominic Thiem Wins US Open 2020; Beats Alexander Zverev From 2 Sets Down For Maiden Grand Slam
(Image Credits: US Open Twitter Handle)
10:16 IST, September 14th 2020