Dominic Thiem after Beijing title: In a row with Djokovic and Nadal
Dominic Thiem won the title of the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing in a thrilling final on Sunday. Thiem was already behind set and break against Stefanos Tsitsipas, but as in the semifinals he turned the game and secured his 15th career title.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Oct 06, 2019, 09:06 pm
After the game, Thiem emphasized the importance of an offensive style of play on hard courts. “Today I felt I was connected to the network as often as never before. It was definitely the right thing to do. It is important to keep the points short, ”he said after his fourth hard court title. Thiem came on the net 25 times and scored 17 points, Tsitsipas was successful 19 times in 33 attempts.
The number five in the world also spoke of one of the best matches in his career. “The tournament was so busy. If you look at my style of play and the way I fought my way back, that's one of my biggest career titles, ”said Thiem.
For the first time in his career, Thiem won two matches in a row, in which he had one set and one break gap. He was also behind Karen Khachanov, but fought his way into the final in a thriller.
It was his fourth title at the 500 level and the fourth title in 2019. Thiem has the same number of titles as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, but the two tennis giants each won two Grand Slams this season.
Dominic Thiem with four ATP titles: Most tournament wins in 2019
| player | country | title |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4 |
| Rafael Nadal | Spain | 4 |
| Dominic Thiem | Austria | 4 |
| Roger Federer | Switzerland | 3 |
| Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 3 |
| Alex de Minaur | Australia | 3 |
Stefanos Tsitsipas is defeated by Dominic Thiem: "Was close to it"
Thiem had many words of praise for opponent Tsitsipas. "I know this is a tough moment, but you played great. I really hope this rivalry continues. It was our first final together, I hope for many more, ”said Thiem, who took a 3-2 lead in direct comparison with the Greek.
"I was so close. I was missing a point for the break and then I would have won the tournament, ”Tsitsipas argued with a break ball awarded 4: 4 in the second set. “I made the wrong decision, went back and wanted to give myself more time. He played wisely, ”said Tsitsipas on Thiem's serve and volley point.
While the Lower Austrian already qualified for the ATP Finals in London in November, Tsitsipas is sixth in the race. “It was my first good tournament in a long time. I mustn't keep too much on myself now and have to stay focused. I have to prove my consistency in the next tournaments, ”said Tsitsipas for the ATP Masters in Shanghai.
In addition to 500 points for the ATP ranking, Thiem can also look forward to prize money of $ 733,790. For the first time since Madrid 2018, he beat Khachanov (No. 9) and Tsitsipas (No. 7) two top 10 players in a row. At that time, he won against Nadal and Kevin Anderson before failing in the final against Alexander Zverev.
Thiem meets Pablo Carreno Busta or Ze Zhang in Shanghai after a walk in round two. Tsitsipas is dealing with Felix Auger-Aliassime or Alexander Bublik. The final duel of Beijing could only be reissued in Shanghai in the final.