Dominic Thiem is again in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid. With a focused performance, the 24-year-old beat Kevin Anderson.
The duel for the final in Madrid could not have been better for Dominic Thiem. The Lower Austrian was wide awake against his South African opponent Kevin Anderson from the start and promptly grabbed the break and then the 2-0 lead.
After the coup against Rafael Nadal, the audience saw a motivated, focused and hungry Thiem, who also gave full throttle in Anderson’s second service game. The serve giant on the opposite side entered the game after some initial difficulties and won his first game. Thiem, the current number seven in the world, confirmed the break and did not give himself any nudity on his own serve.
On the other side, Anderson fought for the lead and again faced two break points, but the 2.03-metre-hall could fend them off with flying colours. Whether a crashing forehand on the line or a butter-soft stop just behind the net edge – Thiem seemed to succeed in everything and enraptured the spectators in the Caja Magica with tennis worth seeing.
The man from Lichtenwörth served to win the set at the score of 5:4, defended three break balls and secured the first set with a crashing forehand with 6:4.
And Thiem wouldn’t let up. As at the beginning of the game, the “Dominator” pushed his opponent into a corner and took the immediate break and the 2-0 lead again. The 24-year-old played himself into a frenzy for two, duped Anderson with stops and great mileage and raptured the crowded stadium.
The 4-1 break was the preliminary decision in the first semi-final in Madrid. Thiem kept his nerve and finally won 6:4 and 6:2 against number eight in the world. It is the second Madrid final in a row for the Lower Austrian.