Thiem Saves Five Match Points In Three-Hour Epic To Reach First Final Since 2020

| by Sebastian Dahlman

Dominic Thiem will be playing in the 2023 Kitzbuhel Open final after beating Laslo Djere in a match that lasted three hours and 30 minutes.

For the 3rd time in a row this week in Kitzbuhel, Dominic Thiem lost the opening set. For the 3rd time in a row this week, Dominic Thiem won the second set after losing the opening one, and for the 3rd time in a row this week, Thiem won a match in three sets after losing the opening set.

It's been the week of comebacks for Thiem who will contest an ATP final for the first time in a long time. The Austrian didn't play in an ATP final since 2020. The last ATP final he played was the ATP Finals when he was beaten by Daniil Medvedev. It was the first and only final he played after his spectacular US Open triumph.

Now we'll see him in a final again, and it came after another inspired effort on home soil. Winning in Kitzbuhel is nothing new to him, he's a former champion of the event but this run was a very hard one. He's not playing his best tennis, but he's fighting and grinding which got him the win ultimately.

2023 Kitzbuhel Open ATP Prize Money & Points Overview
2023 Kitzbuhel Open ATP Prize Money & Points Overview

The opening set was just like that, a proper grind for both players as neither used their early chances. We arrived in a tiebreak, one which Djere played a bit sounder, winning it 7-3. As he generally does this week, Thiem fought back.

It was a tough fightback, and when he faced break points 15-40 down 3-4 in the second set, things looked bleak, but he wiggled his way out of that and continued applying pressure wearing Djere down. The Austrian escaped with the set 7-5.

The final set was another tough one. Thiem faced early break points but survived, however, he couldn't do much on the return. Djere was able to keep the focus, avoiding giving any chances to Thiem. A huge chance for the Serbian came at 6-5 in the final set, but he wasted three match points.

Yet another tie-break had to decide the match, and eventually, the home crowd favourite was able to prevail and win the match 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(8). On Saturday, he will take on Sebastian Baez in the final.

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