Live: Thiem In Command Against Medvedev In US Open SF

Second seed Dominic Thiem is one set away from his first US Open final. The Austrian saved a set point in the second-set tie-break and leads third seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-6(7) in their semi-final clash on Friday. Thiem is the first player to take a set off Medvedev this fortnight.

Medvedev arrived to the match having only been broken three times in 68 service games. Thiem failed to convert his first two break points, but a controversial moment on his third opportunity at 3-2 gave him the first break of the night.

The third seed hit a first serve that was called good and Thiem cracked a backhand return that the Russian didn’t attempt to move for. Medvedev attempted to challenge the call thinking his serve landed long — as a Hawkeye review shown on the broadcast proved correct — but was denied by the chair umpire, who insisted that Thiem hit the return before the challenge was made. As a frustrated Medvedev pleaded his case, Thiem told the umpire to let him challenge. The call ultimately stood and Medvedev later apologised to the Austrian for the disruption in play.

But the moment threw Medvedev off mentally and Thiem capitalised. He took eight of the next nine points to grab the early advantage.

Medvedev quickly regrouped and broke Thiem to start the second set after the Austrian played an uncharacteristically patchy game. The 24-year-old also began to impose himself more on serve. Medvedev won 65 per cent of first-serve points in the opening set, but that number exceeded 90 per cent late in the second set.

But first deliveries inside the service box were few and far between when Medvedev served for the set at 5-4. Thiem capitalised and opened the game with a pair of baseline winners, then broke as the Russian dumped a forehand into the net. An epic six-deuce game followed at 5-5 as Thiem fought through visible nerves by charging the net behind aggressive forehand approaches. He bravely fought off five break points before holding with a forehand winner.

Thiem erased a set point with a big serve at 5/6 in the tie-break, only to see Medvedev match that effort serving at 6/7. But at an ill-advised drop shot from the third seed at 7/7 landed in the middle of the court and Thiem crunched a forehand winner for another set point. He made good on the second opportunity with another aggressive forehand and took a commanding advantage.

The grueling rallies took their toll on the Austrian, though. He received a medical timeout at the end of the second set for treatment on his left ankle.

Thiem holds a 2-1 lead against Medvedev in their ATP Head2Head rivalry, but Medvedev won their most recent match at 2019 Montreal. Medvedev only lost four games and won 16 of the first 17 points in the second set of their quarter-final clash.

The winner of this match will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final. The fifth seed rallied from two sets down to defeat No. 20 seed Pablo Carreno Busta. Thiem holds a 7-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head rivalry with Zverev and has won their past three matches. Medvedev trails Zverev 1-5 in their ATPHead2Head series, but picked up his lone win on hard courts in the 2019 Shanghai final