Updates: Thiem Saves Set Point, Leads Nadal In Melbourne

After saving one set point, Dominic Thiem leads Rafael Nadal 7-6(3) in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday evening.

The winner will face Alexander Zverev for a spot in the championship match. The German defeated Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. Nadal (5-1) and Thiem (6-2) both own ATP Head2Head leads against the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion.

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With both players attempting to take control of the centre of the court in baseline battles, it was Nadal who made the first breakthrough at 4-3. The Spaniard was gifted the opening two points on Thiem’s serve and stepped into the court to earn three break points, striking a backhand up the line.

As Thiem attempted to take time away from the World No. 1 by rushing into the net, Nadal floated a pinpoint backhand lob over his opponent to break. But Thiem remained undeterred by his unsuccessful net approach, moving forward on multiple occasions in the following game to save set point and break with a forehand return winner.

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In the tie-break, Nadal attempted to dictate rallies with his forehand before moving to the net to finish points. But Thiem had all the answers, rallying from 0/2 down with two forehand passing shots to earn three set points. The Austrian converted his first opportunity, ripping a forehand winner up the line to take the opener after 67 minutes.

Nadal leads Thiem 9-4 in their ATP Head2Head series, which includes victories in the past two Roland Garros finals. Thiem is aiming to defeat the World No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year, following clay-court victories from 2016 to 2019.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2S2m9Pa