Google News
Dominic Thiem played his first tournament as a top-10 star in Stuttgart 2016 and made it memorable! The Austrian faced Roger Federer in the semi-final and scored a thrilling 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory after fending off two match points in the second set's tie break.
Thiem played in his first grass-court ATP semi-final and gave his everything against the legend. The young Austrian survived a scare in the second set. He wasted a massive 5-0 advantage and allowed Roger to reach a tie break, where the Swiss squandered his opportunities.
Dominic was a better player after the opener, with the lack of concentration in the second set's second part that could have cost him the victory. The Austrian fended off four break points in the decider and stole Roger's serve at 3-3, which proved pivotal in the encounter.
It was their third clash of the season after Brisbane and Rome, sharing one victory and setting the third clash on the third different surface.
Dominic Thiem defended two match points against Roger Federer in Stuttgart 2016.
Thiem played only six ATP tournaments on grass before Stuttgart, earning only two wins against rivals ranked outside the top-80.
He raised his level in Germany and delivered one of his most impressive victories for a place in the title clash. It was Federer's first grass-court ATP semi-final loss since Halle 2002, winning the previous 21 matches in that round and missing a chance to extend the streak.
Roger took an early lead with a break in game four after a great return that landed right on the baseline and caused the rival's error. Dominic had a chance to pull the break back at 2-4, missing a break point and allowing Roger to close the opener at 5-3 thanks to a beautiful forehand winner after 28 minutes.
The Swiss could not keep that level in set number two, with the Austrian racing into a 5-0 lead after breaks in games two and four. Ready to give his best, Federer made a steady comeback, taking one game after another and melting Thiem's advantage.
Serving for the set two times, Dominic made costly errors and brought Roger back to level terms. The Swiss reached a tie break and became the favorite to seal the deal in straight sets. Federer had match points at 6-5 and 7-6, but it was not to be for him.
He sprayed errors and handed the breaker to Thiem, who won it 9-7 to gain a massive boost ahead of the decider. The first five games of the final set saw eight deuces and five break chances, with servers enduring all the efforts to follow the scoreboard.
Dominic survived four break points in the opening two service games and avoided chasing the result. He produced brave shotmaking and looked determined to fight until the end. The Austrian held at love for a 3-3 and made a decisive move a few minutes later.
Thiem earned the desired break and sealed the deal on his serve in game ten for one of the most impressive wins of his early career, considering the rival and the surface.