Australian Open 2020: Dominic Thiem ousts Rafael Nadal, reaches semis
In one of the biggest upsets of the 2020 Australian Open, reigning world number one Rafael Nadal of Spain was defeated by Austria's Dominic Thiem in the quarters on Wednesday. Nadal was beaten in four sets, as the opening two turned out to be intense. With this win, Thiem reached his maiden Australian Open semis. Here is the match report.
How did the match pan out?
The match started on an interesting note. Thiem, who is known to challenge Nadal, went neck-on neck in the opening set, winning the tie-breaker 7-3, followed by a similar tie-breaker win, 7-4, in the second set. The third set saw Nadal pull up the ante and win 6-4. However, Thiem bounced back in the following to win 7-6 (8-6).
Thiem books his place in maiden AO semis
THIEM's Time To 𝓢𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮!
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2020
After 4 hours and 10 minutes, @ThiemDomi knocks out world No.1 Rafael Nadal, 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(6) to advance to the #AusOpen semifinals for the first time.#AO2020 pic.twitter.com/lWuZXBzNmt
Thiem clinches 15th AO win, reaches maiden semis
The win handed Thiem his biggest win of the Slam, in what is his seventh appearance at the Slam. He has a win percentage of more than 60, to date. While he has reached his maiden AO semis, it would also be his third semis appearance across all the Slams. This was also his 59th win at Slams, with a win percentage of 70-plus.
Nadal suffers 14th AO loss
Thiem's gain came at Nadal's expense as the latter suffered his 14th loss at the AO, where he has a win percentage of more than 82. Overall, it was his 39th loss at the Slams, while he has an aggregate Slam win percentage of 88.
Thiem admits it was a tough situation
Following the win, Thiem said that he was looking to stay in the match throughout. Also, serving for the match was special for him, despite finding it difficult to handle the tough situations. "It's a little bit 'demons in the head'. I was just rushing too much...changing my tactics. You have to deal with these situations almost every single game," he said.
Thiem to face Alexander Zverev in semis
Thiem would be up for a tough clash against Germany's Alexander Zverev, who is ranked seventh in the world. While Zverev would be playing his maiden Slam semis, he would be under pressure. As a result, Thiem, ranked fifth, would have a slight psychological advantage over the German.
Thiem already has his eyes set on Zverev
"I can't wait to be back on Friday."@ThiemDomi looks ahead to his semifinal battle with @AlexZverev on Day 12 👀#AO2020 pic.twitter.com/7lHeeGpx12
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2020
