Emcee Andy Taylor | The Voice of the US Open | US Open
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[1] Rafael Nadal -01- (ESP) def [9] Dominic Thiem -09- (AUT) | 06 64 75 67(4) 76(5)
Absolute heartbreaker for Dominic Thiem, who is making a habit of soul-crushing defeats at the US Open.
Last year on Grandstand, Thiem was easily up 2-sets on a very ill Juan Martin Del Potro. Somehow, the Argentine launched a tremendous comeback to earn the 4th-Round win 16 26 61 76(1) 64. For the fourth time, Thiem was sent home before the Quarterfinals.
This year, after a tough battle with 2017 Finalist and World #5 Kevin Anderson, Thiem finally won four matches in Flushing. He got another stab at World #1 Rafael Nadal – his opponent in the championship match at Roland Garros 3-months prior (Nadal won 64 63 62).
Tonight was huge – an opportunity to face Rafa on a faster surface – a chance to prove to himself he could usurp one of the greatest to play the game at a Slam.
And man, did he start-off brilliantly. Thiem allowed Nadal only 7 POINTS during the entire first set. Fans in Ashe were stunned. The last time Rafa was “bageled” in a first-set, he went-on to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber in the 3rd-Round of the 2017 Miami Open.
And Nadal did it again tonight, recovering from that horrendous first set to defeat Thiem at 2:04am – after 4-hours and 49-minutes, the longest match Nadal has ever played at the US Open. Sadly, the nearly 5-hour match came down to one critical Thiem mistake when it mattered most. Down 5-6 in the deciding-set tiebreak, he missed an overhead – and lost the match.
Again – absolute heartbreaker for the Austrian. Meanwhile, 3-time US Open Champion (2010 | 2013 | 2017) Rafael Nadal is through to his 29th Grand Slam Semifinal, 7th at the US Open.
NEXT: [1] Rafael Nadal -01- (ESP) vs [3] Juan Martin Del Potro -03- (ARG)
[vector_icon icon=”fas-fa check”] QF: def Dominic Thiem -09- (AUT) 06 64 75 67(4) 76(5) | Arthur Ashe Stadium
[vector_icon icon=”fas-fa check”] R4: def Nikoloz Basilashvili -37- (GEO) 63 63 67(6) 64 | Arthur Ashe Stadium
[vector_icon icon=”fas-fa check”] R3: def [27] Karen Khachanov -26- (RUS) 57 75 76(7) 76(3) | Arthur Ashe Stadium
[vector_icon icon=”fas-fa check”] R2: def Vasek Pospisil -88- (CAN) 63 64 62 | Arthur Ashe Stadium
[vector_icon icon=”fas-fa check”] R1: def David Ferrer -148- (ESP) 63 34 RET | Arthur Ashe Stadium
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[1] Rafael Nadal -01- (ESP)
He is the defending US Open Champion…and one of the greatest to ever play the game. This Spring at Roland Garros, he earned an unprecedented 11th French Open title – which Combined with 2 Wimbledon victories, an Australian Open win, and 3 titles here in Flushing, make him a 17-time Grand Slam Champion. A 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist and 4-time Davis Cup Champion, with his US Open Series victory in Toronto, he now owns a remarkable 80 career tour-level Singles titles – And it was here, 8-years-ago, at just 24-years-old, he became the youngest man in the Open Era to earn the career Grand Slam. From Mallorca, Spain – Please welcome 3-time US Open Champion and the #1 Player in the World…Rafael Nadal.
[9] Dominic Thiem -09- (AUT)
On Sunday, he defeated last year’s Finalist and the #5-seed Kevin Anderson in the 4th Round – and yesterday, celebrated his 25th birthday as a US Open Quarterfinalist for the first time. Ranked as high as World #4 – this June at Roland Garros, he made his Grand Slam championship match debut; just 2-weeks after capturing his 10th ATP World Tour Singles title in Lyon. With his appearance in the French Open Final, he became only the second man from Austria to reach a Grand Slam Final; the first since 1995. He’s won 2 titles this year alone – in four Finals – including his second straight championship match at the Madrid Masters. Competing in his 4th Grand Slam Quarterfinal, from Austria – Please welcome…Dominic Thiem.
