Dominic Thiem has certainly paid his dues in the long-running era of the Big Three. And on Sunday, with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all out of the picture, Thiem will get his next and best chance to win his first Grand Slam singles title. He truly earned it on Friday with a 6-2, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) semifinal victory over Daniil Medvedev at the United States Open that was much more grinding and suspenseful than a typical straight-set affair. “Was probably the toughest straight-set win I ever had,” said Thiem, looking drained but content at his post-match news conference. 2 seed from Austria, had to rally from a service break down in each of the final two sets against the unpredictable Medvedev and had to save a set point in the second-set tiebreaker.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2020 23:45 UTC