Dominic Thiem vs Alexander Zverev (4-6, 4-6)
Gone are the days that Alexander Zverev is considered a #NextGen star. The future is today and we are seeing the best tennis player post-Big Four era.
While online bookmakers expected a tight affair between Zverev and Dominic Thiem, the German superstar made no sense of the live betting odds and made easy work of the big-hitting Austrian in just one hour and 19 minutes.
The clay court of Caja Magica has always favoured the big servers like Thiem, but this time, it’s Zverev’s wide range of shots and uncanny ability to make his opponents feel that they are never in the match that shined bright in the Madrid Open.
Highlights of the game
Most online sports betting fans backed Thiem, last year’s Madrid finalist, in this match-up. After all, prior to this game, the Austrian won four of his five meetings against the 21-year-old German—the latest in Rotterdam in 2017 where he won in three sets.
Zverev has not beaten Thiem on a clay court in their previous match-ups as well, including their 2016 meeting in Roland Garros where the 24-year-old needed just four sets to take out the then rising German teenager.
However, Zverev turned the script around this time and showed his opponent that he’s no longer the same inexperienced player he once was.
The 21-year-old controlled both sets comfortably as Thiem found himself in trouble early on. In fact, Thiem lost the first game with a double fault.
Zverev never trailed and didn’t have to face a break point himself. There were some worries after the young gun went down 0-30 when serving for the first set, but he quickly found his footing to re-establish his dominance.
He used his serve to win five of the next six points and force deuce before winning the set when Thiem hit a long return.
It was the same story in the second as Zverev broke right in the first game. Thiem had solid moments, especially when he won four straight points from 15-40 to avoid giving Zverev a double break, but he was still largely disappointing as he never threatened his opponent’s service game.
Key statistics
It was a dominant performance from Zverev who didn’t drop a set throughout the tournament. Interestingly, he is yet to lose a single set since the opening round of the Munich Open—that translates to 18 consecutive sets.
The fifth-seeded Thiem, meanwhile, had saved 13 of 20 break points he faced in the tournament before the final. However, he allowed Zverev to convert on two out of four chances.
Zverev hit 15 winners in the contest and benefitted from Thiem’s 21 unforced errors. It’s also clear how the German dominated on serve, with post-match statistics showing that he won 16 of 17 first-serve points in the second set.
What’s next?
The win gave Zverev his third Masters title. He became only the fifth active player to win three Masters 1000 titles as well—joining the Big Four of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the elite club.
It’s also his eighth career title and second this season after winning the Munich Open championship last weekend.
After such an impressive run, the World No.3 will now head to the Italian Open in Foro Italico where he will look to defend his title. Zverev beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the said event last year and will hope to replicate his performance as he tries to complete a double victory in Madrid and Rome.
“Hopefully I can continue this kind of streak in Rome,” Zverev said. “Winning two titles in two weeks is great. Winning a Masters, another Masters, is unbelievable. But before the French Open, there’s still Rome where I’m the defending champion.”
“Obviously, I didn’t get broken one time [in Madrid]. But I don’t think I faced break points in the whole tournament. For me, this is an amazing stat to know in the back of my mind.”
Thiem, meanwhile, will aim to bounce back after a disappointing end to what was expected as a breakthrough week for him.
The World No.8 is yet to win a Masters 1000 title, but he appeared well on course to break that drought earlier in the contest after taking down Rafael Nadal in straight sets—the King of Clay and the same man who denied him the title in the 2017 version of the Madrid Open.
Nonetheless, he just can’t seem to find that championship swagger that would lift him from a second-tier star to a Masters and Grand Slam challenger.
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