Sep 14, 2020 By Patrick Tran

Dominic Thiem avoided losing a fourth slam final by coming back from 2 sets down against Alexander Zverev. The come-from-behind win in 5 sets with a fifth set tie-break win marked the first time the final had been settled by a tie-break.  The final score was 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) in 4hr 2min.

Thiem employed an odd strategy of staying far back on Zverev’s serve, even on Zverev’s suspicious second serve. By the fifth set, Thiem was mainly slicing his backhand and yet Zverev couldn’t find an effective answer to the neutral slice.

We finally saw both players loosening up, competing feverishly in a see-saw final set and showing hearts until the last point. It has been an interesting US Open filled with many surprises and headline grabbers. We definitely witnessed a changing of the guards on the men’s side prompted in parts by Covid-19.

See above ESPN highlights for one final look at the US Open as we now move on to the clay courts of Europe. Feel free to share your comments on Thiem’s first “epic” match against Zverev.