Page 15 - Aruba-today-15 Sept 2020

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SPORTS Tuesday 15 sepTember 2020
Thiem 1st since 1949 to win U.S. Open after ceding 1st 2 sets

By HOWARD FENDRICH came from outside the
AP Tennis Writer largest court in tennis, cour-
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. tesy of roaring airplanes,
Open unlike any other fin- rumbling trains, revving car
ished unlike any other — engines, honking horns and
with an unprecedented wailing sirens. There was the
fifth-set tiebreaker as Domi- occasional polite applause
nic Thiem became the first from the dozens of tourna-
man in 71 years to win the ment workers allowed in
final after dropping the the stands — and, deep
opening two sets. into the match, yells from
So close to defeat in a near- the players’ entourages.
ly empty Arthur Ashe Sta- But the louder crowd noise
dium — fans were banned heard by TV viewers was
because of the coronavirus fake, added by the broad-
pandemic — Thiem slowly caster.
but surely turned things Unable to draw from sup-
around against a falter- port in what’s always been
ing Alexander Zverev and an electric environment,
pulled out a 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, on an evening that felt
6-3, 7-6 (6) victory at Flush- more like a glorified prac-
ing Meadows for his first Dominic Thiem, of Austria, reacts after defeating Alexander Zverev, of Germany, in the men's tice session than a match
Grand Slam title. singles final of the US Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in New York. with so much at stake, both
The match ended with both Associated Press men were sluggish at times,
men fighting leg cramps listless, even. The play was
and, clearly, nerves. a few points away,” said in Grand Slam finals, but al- run for Thiem, who broke to hardly perfect: They com-
“Somehow,” said Thiem, a Zverev, who was trying ways faced a member of lead 6-5, earning his own bined for 120 unforced er-
27-year-old from Austria, to give Germany its first the Big Three of men’s ten- chance to serve for it when rors to only 95 winners. In a
“the belief today was stron- male Grand Slam cham- nis in those others. This time, Zverev netted a backhand, curious parallel, Zverev bal-
ger than the body, and I’m pion since Boris Becker in he was the favorite and followed by a long fore- anced his 15 aces with 15
super happy about that.” the 1990s. “I’m 23 years came out jittery, but even- hand. double-faults, and Thiem
When a backhand from old. I don’t think it’s my last tually worked his way out After having a trainer had eight in each catego-
Zverev landed wide on the chance.” of that, while Zverev went check on his right leg dur- ry.
third championship point, Zverev choked up when he from cool and confident ing the ensuing change- Normally, the U.S. Open
a weary Thiem dropped mentioned that his parents to passive and pushed over, Thiem couldn’t seal closes each Grand Slam
to his back way behind hadn’t been able to travel around. the deal, either, and on season, but what about
the baseline and covered to New York because they The fifth set was just as they went to the tiebreak- 2020 has been normal?
his face with his hands. tested positive for CO- back-and-forth as the oth- er. Zverev double-faulted Wimbledon was canceled
When he arose, he was VID-19, although he said er four, the mistakes rising twice and offered up one for the first time since World
met by Zverev, who walked they are now healthy. with the tension and the second serve at 68 mph, War II, while the French
around the net to clasp As Thiem stepped forward history in the offing. about half the speed he’s Open was postponed from
hands, then embrace his to pose for pictures with Thiem broke in the open- capable of. its originally scheduled May
friend and foe, two sights his shiny new bit of hard- ing game when Zverev While this was the No. start and now will begin in
rarely seen in this era of so- ware, Zverev remained a shanked a pair of fore- 7-ranked Zverev’s first Slam two weeks.
cial distancing. few feet behind, one hand hands. Zverev broke right final, this was the first one Another way in which this
Thiem then rested his head clutching his less-impressive back — and pierced the the No. 3-ranked Thiem was whole event was different:
on the shoulder of the taller silver tray, the other hand silence with a rare cry of supposed to win, following Federer, Nadal and Djokov-
Zverev, who himself came on a hip. “Come on!” — when Thiem losses to 12-time French ic had won the preced-
within two points of what The proceedings took 4 double-faulted. Open champion Rafael ing 13 major trophies. But
would have been his first hours, 2 minutes. And to Then it was Zverev’s turn to Nadal at Roland Garros Federer and Nadal didn’t
major triumph. think: After just 1 1/2 hours, nose ahead, breaking for a in 2018 and 2019, then to enter the U.S. Open, while
“I wish we could have two Zverev was up by two sets 5-3 lead when Thiem sent eight-time Australian Open Djokovic was defaulted in
winners today,” Thiem said. and a break in the third at a down-the-line backhand champion Djokovic at Mel- the fourth round for acci-
“I think we both deserved 2-1. wide and leaned over, bourne Park this February dentally hitting a line judge
it.” “The match turned when gasping for air. — back before the pan- with a ball he smacked
He is the first man to win the he broke me for the first But with a chance to serve demic upended the world in anger after dropping a
American Grand Slam tour- time in the third set,” Zverev out the biggest win of his and put tennis on a five- game.
nament after trailing 2-0 in said. “He started playing nascent career, Zverev fal- month hiatus. Thiem — barely, just barely
sets in the final since Pan- much better, and I started tered, getting broken right Instead of wild applause — was the one who took
cho Gonzalez did it against playing much worse.” back when he pushed a and loud shouts greet- advantage of the chance
Ted Schroeder in 1949 at an Zverev, of all people, volley into the net. ing great exchanges, the to sneak into the club of
event then known as the should have known what That began a three-game soundtrack Sunday mainly champions. q
U.S. Championships and might have seemed like
held in Forest Hills. an impossible hill to climb
The event never had been for Thiem was, indeed,
settled by a fifth-set tie- achievable. After all, in
breaker; no major tourna- Thursday’s semifinals, it was
ment ever had until Novak Zverev who trailed 2-0 in
Djokovic edged Roger Fe- sets against Pablo Carreño
derer that way at Wimble- Busta before coming back
don in 2019. to win.
“I was a few games away, Thiem began the day 0-3