Dominic Thiem comes back to beat Alexander Zverev and set up Australian Open final vs Novak Djokovic

New ground: Dominic Thiem has advanced to the final of the Australian Open.
AFP via Getty Images
Joe Krishnan31 January 2020

Dominic Thiem will play Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final after coming from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev.

The fifth seed was outclassed by Zverev in the opening set, struggling to contain his unforced errors on his forehand in particular.

But the Austrian battled back to level in the second and squeezed past the German in the third-set tiebreak before sealing a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 success in three hours and 45 minutes on court.

The 26-year-old, twice a Grand Slam finalist at the French Open, will make his first appearance in the Melbourne showpiece event on Sunday.

He will face seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who beat Roger Federer in straight sets on Thursday to book his place in the final.

In Pictures | Australian Open 2020

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Thiem had beaten the world number one Rafael Nadal on his way to the last four which suggested he would be the favourite.

But Zverev's performance against Stan Wawrinka was also eye-catching as he reached the last four of a Slam for the first time.

The pair are good friends off the court but on it, it felt like there was a burning hate for one another - such was the intensity and power that they were striking the ball with in the early moments.

Indeed, Zverev broke in the first game before Thiem struck back immediately after and that episode set the tone for a elongated game of cat and mouse.

But it wasn't long before the seventh seed made a crucial break stick at 4-3 before going on to seal the first set 6-3, with Thiem contributing as much with a host of errors on his forehand.

After regrouping in the second set, Thiem's forehand came to life and he kept the unforced errors down to just five, breaking Zverev twice on his way to sealing the set 6-4.

The third set showed just how special these two players are and will be for years to come. Entertaining rallies at the net, diving shots, superb winners down the line. It had everything and that included a tiebreak.

But when that came about, there was only one winner. Thiem dominated, taking the game to a much more passive Zverev and sealed the tiebreaker 7-3 to take a crucial lead after a mammoth 82-minute set.

Both players looked exhausted by the time the fourth set came about and that explained their need to rush through the games, with love holds and winners aplenty. The long rallies were gone now though, with both players tapping into their energy reserves.

After 12 consecutive holds in the fourth, it went to a tiebreak once again with the pressure on Zverev to deliver. But the German felt the pressure and missed a simple overhead smash at 2-3 to hand Thiem the chance to go on and serve through the tiebreak.

And finally, with three match points, he superbly hit forehand after forehand before a careful volley to cap a stunning show of tennis - and Thiem had finally made it.

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