Italy’s Gianluca Mager has pulled the biggest upset of the Rio Open and earned the biggest victory over his career. The 25-year-old Italian qualifier knocked off top-seeded former champion Dominic Thiem 7-6(4) 7-5 to reach the semifinals.
Mager entered the week with just two ATP main draw victories to his name and only one Top 100 win.
He won 12 of 19 second serve points and made 77 percent of his first serves in the match to defeat the World No.4. Mager is projected to rise from 128 to 100 in the rankings as a result of his run and he could go inside the Top 80 if he reaches the final.
Thiem needed a win today to surpass Roger Federer in the ATP rankings. But the Austrian will have ample chances to get to a career-high No.3 ranking with Federer out until Wimbledon.
Mager will face Hungary’s Attila Balazs in the semifinals while Chile’s Cristian Garin and Croatia’s Borna Coric will meet in the lower half semifinal.