Erste Bank Open: Dominic Thiem beats Matteo Berrettini in three sets - first final in Vienna
Dominic Thiem has reached the final of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna for the first time in his career. The top seeded Austrian defeated Matteo Berrettini in a dramatic match 3: 6, 7: 5 and 6: 3. ( The match can be found in our live ticker ).
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Oct 26, 2019, 05:31 pm
by Nikolaus Fink from the Wiener Stadthalle
A "hammer match" - no more and no less expected Dominic Thiem before the match against Matteo Berrettini. In fact, before the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, there were many signs of hope for a great match. Both players had already played in top form in Asia and transported their best tennis to the Austrian capital.
The protagonists also started well in Vienna, especially the forehand balls struck again and again in the corner. After both Thiem and Berrettini had brought their first service play to zero, the first more active Italians took in the third game of the match the first two breakballs - after a double mistake of the Austrians sat equal to the first.
Berrettini ends sentence one hard
The world ranked fifth did not let it but not from the rest and managed thanks to a sensational backhand passing the rebreak to 3: 3 - in the city hall Davis Cup mood was wide. It developed a high-intensity and high-class match in which Berrettini his opponent again reduced the serve to 4: 3.
The 23-year-old Roman succeeded in this phase of the game almost everything. Thiem did not play bad, but Berrettini too often managed to use his powerful forehand and dictate the game. Thanks to another break, the world number one, who will make his top ten debut next week, secured the first set 6: 3.
skywien
At the beginning of the second half, Thiem struggled a bit more than his opponent in his serve games, but the lightworker was able to withstand the pressure of the Italian and, at the score of 2: 2, started to break himself. Berrettini initially fended off three breakballs of the Austrian, but the fourth landed a backhand in the net - 3: 2 for Thiem.
Thiem brings second set after late break
Berrettini, however, was only briefly confused and managed after a marathon match the equalizer to 4: 4. Only a little later Thiem served against the match loss, the local hero did this task but with flying colors and worked out in the next service game of the Romans a break chance. Thiem took advantage of this after a long rally and then served safely to 7: 5. The Stadthalle finally became a witch's cauldron!
Thiem failed to turn the Stadthalle into an absolute madhouse in the third game of the crucial set - the Austrian could not use a break option. Only two games later, the 26-year-old left a 0:30 unused.
First Vienna final for Thiem
However, two more games later it was time for Thiem to take the serve from Berrettini and for the first time in the third it took the lead - at the score of 4: 3 only two games were left to victory!
In the following game Thiem held his serve to 0:30 residue. The Lightwatcher now had the momentum on his side and once again took Berrettini's serve to the acclaimed 3: 6, 7: 5 and 6: 3 success.
Thus Dominic Thiem stands for the first time in his career of the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. In this match, the Austrian will face Diego Schwartzman or Gael Monfils tomorrow at 2:00 pm (in the Tennisnet liveticker).
"I think it was the best match of my career in Vienna, it was an extremely high level from the first to the last point, it was a very special day and I have never experienced such a mood before," said an overjoyed Dominic Thiem still in the square.