Dominic Thiem came from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev and make his first Australian Open final on Friday, booking a clash with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
The 26-year-old, the first player from Austria ever to reach the final of the Happy Slam, battled past seventh-ranked Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4).
Thiem has his work cut out against the Serb who is on a 12-match unbeaten streak this season and has won all seven of the Australian Open deciders he has contested. However, Thiem has won the last four of the five matches he has played against Djokovic and has a superior 2-1 record against his next opponent in Grand Slams.
During the French Open, Thiem put up a masterclass to defeat the 16-time Major winner. He will need to come up with something similar in two days time.
At the moment, Thiem is the toast of the tennis world and is tipped to pull off an upset in the final and become the first male player to be born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam.
Here’s how Twitter lauded Thiem’s genius:
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