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Dominic Thiem and Laslo Djere played one of the most thrilling encounters of the season in the Kitzbuhel semi-final. The home favorite Thiem denied five match points in a 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 victory in three and a half hours, prevailing and reaching his first ATP final since the 2020 ATP Finals!
Djere squandered a massive opportunity to advance into another final after Hamburg. The Serb led 7-6, 4-3, 40-15, wasting his chances and allowing the Austrian to force a decider with a late break. Thiem dug deep in the final set's closing stages, surviving three match points on serve at 5-6 and a couple more in the tie break to emerge at the top after a thriller.
Laso won five points more than Dominic, but not the crucial ones. The Serb produced more efficient numbers behind the first and second serve, but it was not enough to emerge at the top after squandering all 12 break chances!
Thiem stayed unbroken for three and a half hours, giving his everything to keep in touch and breaking his rival once in the second set.
Dominic Thiem defended five match points against Laslo Djere in the Kitzbuhel SF.
They missed their return chances in the encounter's early stages before Dominic saved a break point at 4-4 with a service winner.
Both players served well in the remaining games to introduce a tie break. Djere kicked it off with a mini-break and forged a 3-0 advantage. The Serb forced the Austrian's error in the seventh point for 5-2 and grabbed another mini-break for three set points.
Laslo seized the second at 6-3 with a forehand winner for a boost. Djere denied a break point at 3-3 in the second set and earned two break chances in the next one. Thiem saved them with powerful forehands and held after deuce in game ten for 5-5.
The home favorite pushed strong on the return in the 11th game and delivered the encounter's only break with a forehand winner that gave him momentum. Dominic fired a service winner in the 12th game to wrap up the set and introduce a decider.
The Austrian saved two break points in the final set's fourth game, and they served well in the following seven, with Djere opening a 6-5 advantage. Thiem could not seize two game points in game 12 before Djere created three match points.
The home favorite saved them and held to introduce a tie break. Laslo grabbed an extended exchange at 5-5 for his fourth match point. The Serb placed a forehand long to squander it, and his second match point came and gone after the Austrian's service winner.
Thiem could not convert his first match point at 8-7 and earned his second match point after the rival's loose forehand. Dominic clinched it at 9-8 with a powerful forehand to celebrate a massive victory and reach his first ATP final in almost three years.