Andrey Rublev defeats Dominic Thiem in Melbourne Opener
Rublev awaits either Emil Ruusuvuori or Australian qualfiier Max Purcell in the second round.
Second seed Dominic Thiem on Wednesday defeated Alex de Minaur on straight sets in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles competition in the ongoing US Open. In the women’s singles, Victoria Azarenka made it to the last four at the Flushing Meadows, New York.
Defeating de Minaur 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and four minutes, Thiem made it to his first-ever semifinal of the US Open. He has also become the first Austrian to achieve the feat.
“I had a great feeling from the first moment on,” said Thiem, who will now face 2019 US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev for a place in the summit clash.
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“There is no Roger, Rafa, Novak, but there is Daniil, Sascha and Pablo now,” he said. “There are three other amazing players. Every single one of us deserves this first major title. Everybody will give it all. Once we step on the court, those other three are forgotten anyway,” he added.
Thiem had last reached the quarterfinals in New York in 2018. After battling Rafael Nadal for four hours and 49 minutes in an all-time slugfest before falling short in a fifth-set tie-break, the Austrian said the match was, “going to be stuck in my mind forever”.
In the second semifinal, Alexander Zverev will take on Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in women’s competition, Azarenka beat No.16 seed Elise Mertens on straight sets. Storming her way into first Grand Slam semifinals, Azarenka was at her vintage best as she won 6-1, 6-0 in a contest that lasted little over an hour.
In what will be a repeat of the 2012 and 2013 US Open final, Azarenka will now face Serena Williams in the last four who staged a stellar comeback against unranked Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria and registered a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory in her quarter-final match.
With IANS inputs
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