Dominic Thiem rises to see off Alex de Minaur to set up US Open semi-final vs Daniil Medvedev

On his way: Dominic Thiem was in sensational form to beat Alex de Minaur.
AP
Joe Krishnan10 September 2020

Dominic Thiem produced a classy display to underline his bid for a first US Open title, beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets to reach the semi-finals.

The no.2 seed overcame a early blip on his serve after being broken, going on to concede only three games in the first two sets.

Despite a late rally from de Minaur in the third set, Thiem was able to record a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 victory in two hours of play at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Austrian, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, will take on Daniil Medvedev for a place in Sunday's final.

Coming into this clash, the weight of expectation from a nation reigned on de Minaur's shoulders, after becoming the first Australian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open in 2005.

But with Novak Djokovic out, Rafael Nadal opting not to travel and Roger Federer injured, the real pressure was on Thiem to finally collect that elusive maiden Slam.

In Pictures | US Open 2020

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It promised to be a high-octane clash with both players gifted in their athleticism and so it proved. Rain arrived early on and roof closed while de Minaur served at 1-2.

But Thiem, with a lethal combination of energy and power, was able to dictate the early points and secure consecutive breaks. Despite that, the opening half an hour was hardly a serving masterclass, with Thiem at just 44 per cent and de Minaur losing both of his opening service games.

The turning point came in the fifth game with Thiem on serve, having to save five break points in total. But with de Minaur unable to find the winning strike, and with his weapon of a forehand, Thiem sealed a crucial hold before clinching the first set 6-1.

The youngster ditched his backwards-facing baseball cap for the second set and almost coincidentally, found his rhythm on his serve, sealing consecutive holds by winning eight points without reply.

The 21-year-old extended that run to 11 points and at 40-0 looked in a solid position to hold again. But back came Thiem, winning the next four points and under pressure, he produced a very tame second serve which just floated into the net.

Thiem never looked back, taking the next five games to secure a comfortable two-set lead and was making it look easy with a combination of dynamic movement and electric winners.

His dominance was only highlighted in the first game of the third set, turning a seemingly unreachable volley from de Minaur into a fantastic lob that sealed the break to make it seven games in a row.

De Minaur is never the type to throw in the towel and the 21st seed took advantage of a slight drop in intensity from Thiem to break back in the sixth game of the third set, before staving off three break points to take five in a row and lead at 4-3, just giving Thiem something to ponder in the third set.

But after missing a crucial backhand, de Minaur's late surge came to an abrupt end as Thiem put on a show to seal the final set 6-4 and set up an initriguing clash with Medvedev in the last four.

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