Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 1 February 2020

Thiem beats Zverev to reach 1st Australian Open final

By HOWARD FENDRICH grees (43 Celsius) during
AP Tennis Writer the mixed doubles semifi-
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) nals Friday afternoon, but
— Locked in an even-as- by the time the Thiem vs.
can-be Australian Open Zverev match started in the
semifinal, Dominic Thiem evening, things were cool-
looked up at his guest box, er. The retractable roof at
patted his belly and stuck Rod Laver Arena was partly
out his tongue, as if to indi- open when they began,
cate he was feeling sick. He before a patch of rain in
shook his head. He winced. the fourth game prompted
Whatever might have been a three-minute delay so the
going on, Thiem turned out arena could be completely
to be just fine -- well enough covered.
to play, well enough to win. There was a longer, odd-
The 26-year-old Austrian er, interlude after the first
reached his third Grand game of the third set, when
Slam final overall and first action was held up for sev-
at Melbourne Park by using en minutes because of an
his baseline bullying and issue with some of the stadi-
big-moment bravado to um lights. While tournament
beat Alexander Zverev 3-6, Austria's Dominic Thiem makes a forehand return to Germany's Alexander Zverev during their officials huddled to discuss
6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) on Friday semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. the matter, fans killed time
night. 31, 2020. by dancing in the aisles to
"I was feeling nerves, I think. Associated Press "Staying Alive" by the Bee
I was putting so much ener- Roger Federer on Thursday. challenge: Djokovic owns He also saved 9 of 14 break Gees and "Sweet Caroline"
gy, so much effort in, so my The women's final is Satur- a record seven titles from points in the semifinal. by Neil Diamond, Zverev
stomach was not ready for day, with two-time major the hard courts of the Aus- "In the important moments, changed his shirt, and
that. I think it was rebelling a champion Garbiñe Mu- tralian Open. I didn't play my best. He Thiem smiled at the absur-
little bit," Thiem said, laugh- guruza of Spain taking on Zverev's take on Thiem's did," Zverev said. "That's dity of it all.
ing about what happened. 14th-seeded Sofia Kenin of form? where the match kind of "Loosened me up a little
"But all good. I sometimes the United States. It is Mu- "He's playing the best tennis went his way." bit," Thiem said.
have it when I have tough guruza's fourth Grand Slam of his life," said Zverev, who Thiem shook off a shaky As Thiem began to impose
matches." final and the 21-year-old was making his debut in a start and pulled out the himself -- he went from
The key to Thiem's victory Kenin's first. Slam semifinal. second set by saving a pair five winners in the first set,
over No. 7 Zverev was the Djokovic, 32, will be ap- Thiem never had been past of break points before tak- to nine in the second and
same as the key to his pre- pearing in his record eighth the fourth round in Mel- ing it with a 125 mph ace. 20 in the third -- Zverev
vious win, over No. 1 Rafael Australian Open final and bourne until now. But he's In the third, despite looking seemed to find more and
Nadal in the quarterfinals: 26th Grand Slam final over- morphing into a superior weary and ill, Thiem erased more things that disturbed
coming through in the all. While Thiem eyes his hard-court player — and two set points with go-for-it him.
clutch. Thiem went a com- first major trophy, Djokovic one in rather fine form at winners -- one a backhand, The 22-year-old German
bined 5 for 5 in tiebreakers is going for No. 17, which the moment, with three the other a forehand. Soon ran out of replay challenges
in those matches. would move him within consecutive wins over top- after, another tiebreaker in the third set, questioned
"I was going for it. Could three of Federer's record of 10 opponents, including went Thiem's way, and he whether the net machine
have also missed them," 20. Rafael Nadal, with 19, is No. 1 Nadal in the quarterfi- ended it in style with an- was working and found an
he said about some of his the only other man ahead nals and, now, Zverev. other pair of winners -- this arena video board bother-
shots Friday. "I was brave, of Djokovic. "He flattens his shot out time going forehand, then some.
but also lucky that I made Thiem's two previous major much more. Before, he backhand. What bothered Zverev the
these." finals came on the red clay was a complete clay-court In the final tiebreaker Fri- most, of course, was Thiem,
The No. 5-seeded Thiem's of the French Open, where player. A lot of movement, day, Thiem's last three who now gets less than
opponent in the title match he was the runner-up to a lot of running around, points came via a pair of 45 hours to rest and try to
Sunday will be No. 2 Novak 12-time champion Nadal stuff like that," Zverev said. forehands and a volley. figure out a way to beat
Djokovic, the defending each of the last two years. "Now he has a complete The temperature climbed Djokovic at a place no one
champion, who eliminated Now he will face a similar hard-court game." all the way to 110 de- is better. q