By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday June 8, 2019
Dominic Thiem ended the hopes of Novak Djokovic in Paris and reached the final for a consecutive year.
Photo Source: TPN/Getty
Dominic Thiem has notched the biggest win of his career, and given himself a chance to do the unthinkable.
The Austrian knocked off top-seeded Novak Djokovic on Saturday, completing a match that began on Friday in Paris by converting his third match point to notch a 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5 victory over the World No.1 and end Djokovic’s bid to hold all four major titles at the same time.
It was a bizarre contest from start to finish.
It began with howling winds and threatening skies on Friday, and was puzzlingly postponed with the pair even at a set apiece and Thiem leading 3-1 in the third set due to inclement weather. But as the sun came out in Paris not too long after the match was called, leaving a few hours of daylight in which the match could have been completed, many wondered why it had been called in the first place.
The players resumed play early on Saturday, with strong winds still blowing and storm clouds still lurking. Thiem would take the third set as he converted his fourth set point with Djokovic serving at 5-6..
Djokovic grabbed a topsy-turvy fourth set with a late push, and Thiem moved ahead by a break in the fifth set before rain intervened again.
Djokovic would save a break point to avoid going down a double-break immediately after play resumed, and he held for 2-4 and quickly broke back for 3-4. Thiem would regain the break but nerves got in the way as he failed to convert two match points at 5-3, missing the court both times with his backhand slice.
Djokovic broke and leveled at 5-all but resilient Thiem found himself with a third match point moments later. He would make no mistake, crushing a forehand winner down the line before falling to the court in jubilation.
The Austrian is into his second consecutive Roland Garros final—he’ll face Rafael Nadal on Sunday for the title.
Thiem is the first Austrian player to have reached multiple Grand Slam finals and he'll bid to become the first Austrian to win a major title since Thomas Muster did so at Roland Garros in 1995.
More to follow...