14:25 (IST)
Thiem 1-1 *Zverev (* denotes server)
BREAK BACK! A little glimpse into the way this match could go. Thiem mixing things up very well: blistering, thundering groundstrokes which catch the baseline and sliding backhands which force Zverev into generating all the pace. An attack vs defence. Three break points for Thiem now and he converts the second with tiny bit of luck. Zverev goes for the lob with Thiem at the net but gets the angle wrong and it lands wide.
14:21 (IST)
Thiem* 0-1 Zverev (* denotes server)
String of errors on both wings from Thiem to get the match going and immediately Zverev has three break points. One saved with a huge serve down the tee. Sascha with an error of his own, on the forehand, to bring it down to one break point. After a lengthy 16 shot rally, Thiem went for the line on the backhand and missed. BREAK!
14:17 (IST)
Ready, play!
Alexander Zverev chose to receive at the coin toss so Dominic Thiem gets the ball rolling in the second men's singles semi-final. PLAY!
14:13 (IST)
Roof remains open
It is 34 degrees in Melbourne with humidity at 32% at the moment. The roof is open at the start. There's chance of rain later in the match so bold decision. The matches on outside courts were halted earlier due to the heat. So strange that they're starting with the roof open. But understandable given it is an outside tournament.
14:09 (IST)
On come the players
Zverev is in front as they walk past the corridor of champions. Years and years of former Australian Open winners. It culminates with Novak Djokovic, a seven time winner and the person they face on Sunday, and Naomi Osaka, the women's champion from last year, on the other. Equally loud applause for both players as they come through the tunnel and on to the court.
14:06 (IST)
Earlier in the doubles...
Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos were crowned champions for a second time at Melbourne Park after reclaiming the Australian Open women’s doubles trophy they landed two years ago. In a repeat of the WTA Finals, Mladenovic and Babos beat top seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova 6-2, 6-1.
13:50 (IST)
Head-to-head
Thiem leads the career head-to-head 6-2 with the latest coming in the semi-finals at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Their only prior outdoor hard meeting was in 2016 in Beijing where Zverev triumphed. But considering the heat conditions, there's a strong possibility of the match being played under the roof.
13:47 (IST)
The 'Next Gen' battle!
Friends & Rivals.@ThiemDomi and @AlexZverev prepare to meet again on the biggest stage.#AusOpen | #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/rNDJH6UK3P
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020
13:44 (IST)
STAT ALERT: Thiem has an edge over Zverev in Grand Slams. He has won both of his previous Slam meetings. He also won six of their eight matches overall.
13:42 (IST)
How they got here
Dominic Thiem
R1: Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
R2: Alex Bolt 6-2, 5-7, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2
R3: Taylor Fritz 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
R4: Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-4, 6-4
QF: Rafael Nadal 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6
Alexander Zverev
R1: Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 7-6, 6-3
R2: Egor Gerasimov 7-6, 6-4, 7-5
R3: Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
R4: Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
QF: Stan Wawrinka 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
13:40 (IST)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray today defeated Astra Sharma and John-Patrick Smith 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the mixed doubles semi-finals at Melbourne Park.
Jumping into the #AO2020 mixed doubles final!@matteksands/@jamie_murray end the run of Aussie wildcards Sharma/Smith 6-3 7-6(4).#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/8rVu8sCEGl
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020
13:35 (IST)
Before the men's semi-final, let's take a look at what happened today.
Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic clinched their second Australian Open women's doubles title in three years beating Hsieh/Strycova 6-2, 6-1.
Lift it high 🏆#AO2020 | #AusOpen | @TimeaBabos | @KikiMladenovic pic.twitter.com/UumCc9HB22
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020
13:23 (IST)
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Australian Open! It is Day 12 and thanks to absurd scheduling by the organisers, we have just the one match to look forward to today. It also means one less day for these guys: Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev to recover before they face the energetic machinery that is Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday.
Australian Open Friday action preview: Alexander Zverev is 22, Dominic Thiem is 26, and one of them will get the chance to appear in the Australian Open final for the first time. Their semifinal is under the lights at night in the only singles match of Day 12 at Melbourne Park.
It's a matchup between two of the 20-somethings that folks have been expecting to break through the Grand Slam dominance of the Big Three: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer combined to win the past 12 major championships in a row.
While this is the first time in a major semifinal for the No. 7-seeded Zverev, it is the fifth for No. 5 Thiem, whose previous four all came at the French Open, where he lost in the past two finals to Nadal. Thiem eliminated 19-time major champion Nadal in a thriller in the quarterfinals Wednesday; Zverev got past three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka.
(With AP inputs)
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2GBpIqt
No comments:
Post a Comment