Dominic Thiem qualified for the semi-finals of the US Open by sweeping Australia’s Alex De Minaur (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) on Wednesday. In great form, the Austrian offers himself a sparkling shock against the Russian Daniil Medvedev.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem, 3rd in the world, qualified for his first semi-final of the US Open where he will face Russian Daniil Medvedev (5th), finalist last year, on Friday, presaging a shock of very high fly. Wednesday evening, in a night session at Flushing Meadows, Thiem swept the Australian Alex De Minaur (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) in 2h4.
Always as aggressive, powerful and precise from the back of the line, Thiem has constantly overwhelmed his opponent, much the same way as three years ago during their clash in the 1st round of the New York Major, for the same sanction at the end.
We are in the middle of the second week of Slam and @ThiemDomi won his last three sets 61 … Violent for De Minaur, outclassed in power. It does not box in the same category. # USOpen2020
– Eric Salliot (@ericsalliot) September 10, 2020
Author of 43 winning shots (against 17) and 11 aces in total, the Austrian was a steamroller during the first two innings. “The score in the first two sets makes it look easy, but it was intense and our exchanges were long rallies,” Thiem explained afterwards.
And that escalated a bit more in the third, with De Minaur managing to unbreaker for the first time to tie at 3-3. But Thiem then further raised his level of play to hurry to finish without embarking on a fourth set. On Friday, he will have to pass the big obstacle Medvedev to hope to play the second Grand Slam final of his career, after that lost at the Australian Open.
An Azarenka-Williams poster for women
In women, Victoria Azarenka, 27th in the world, qualified on Wednesday for the semi-finals of the US Open where she will find Thursday the American Serena Williams (8th) against whom she had delivered two memorable finals in 2012 and 2013. In the quarter-finals, the Belarusian left no chance for the Belgian Elise Mertens (18th) which she swept 6-1, 6-0.
“I played exactly how I wanted to. I knew she was going to use my ball speed to counter me, so I tried to vary a bit more. It worked out well. I tried to put her on. a lot of pressure to force him to try winning shots, ”Azarenka said.
At 31, she has displayed since the beginning of Flushing Meadows a great joy of living and playing, accompanied in the sanitary bubble by her son. “I’m happy to be here, with my family, my mother who cooks for us every night, and then I play in the garden with my son,” she said. She had put her career on hold to give birth in 2016, but a custody fight kept her out of the circuit longer than she had hoped for and she did not really go back. the circuit until mid-season in 2018.
The former world No. 1, winner of two Grand Slam tournaments in Australia (2012 and 2013), chained Wednesday a tenth consecutive victory: the five that allowed her to win the Cincinnati tournament, organized in Flushing Meadows for health reasons the week before the US Open, and the five that allow him to access the last four of the Major.
Eliminated last year in the first round, Azarenka had not reached the semi-finals of the US Open since 2013. Since the start of the tournament, she has shown that she had regained her powerful and precise tennis which had allowed her to hold face the Serena Williams of the great era in the 2012 and 2013 finals. This year, the Belarusian, 8 years younger than the American, could well have the upper hand.
So the prospect of facing the queen of Flushing Meadows, who is aiming for a record 24th Grand Slam title, delights her. “Could it have been better? It’s a huge chance against such a champion,” she commented.
