By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 29 2020

 

Dominic Thiem defeated Rafael Nadal for the first time in a major, denying the world No. 1's quest to win his 20th Grand Slam title and match Roger Federer's record.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Five thoughts on the run of play during the quarterfinals at the 2020 Aussie Open.

More Aussie Musings: Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 8

Thiem and Nadal Hit the High Notes

Round of applause for Dominic Thiem. The Austrian turned so many heads last year by proving that he can win on hard courts, and he has followed that success up brilliantly with his performance at this year's Australian Open. On Wednesday in Melbourne, Thiem finally got over the hump against Rafael Nadal at a major, defeating the 19-time Slam champ in four mind-bending sets, 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(6).

Thiem nearly stumbled and lost his grip on this match, as Nadal revved up the comeback machine and pushed him to the brink in the fourth. But after blowing a break lead and then missing on two match points (the first was a wheelhouse forehand that he slammed into the net), he finally came good on his third match point and reached the last four of a major other than Roland Garros for the first time.



Think of what this could mean for Thiem, who has been knocking on the door of big-time success for two full seasons now. He improves to 7-2 against the Big 3 since the beginning of 2018 and earns his second win over a reigning No.1 at a Slam in less than a year. If anybody can break the Big 3’s streak at the majors (now 12 in a row) one must think it would be Thiem.

Even if he doesn’t do it here—and let’s face it, it won’t be easy—Thiem has at least given himself that impossible win against Nadal at a major and proven his hard court chops aren’t just good at the Masters, they are also good at the Slams.

This could be the win that helps unlock the full potential of the Dominator.

On the other hand, there should be no shame in Nadal’s loss. It sincerely felt like he was a few points from forcing a fifth, and if he did, who do we think would have won it? Win or lose, it is always an absolute thrill to see Nadal compete for a tennis match like his life depended on it. This match was played with razor thin margins and high intensity the whole way—it was a treat to watch and it is always sad to see the great Spaniard bow out at a Slam. For whatever reason, things just conspire against him at Australia. But he played his heart out and the clay season beckons.

Improbable Zverev and Muguruza

What’s that you say? Garbiñe Muguruza is unseeded at a Slam for the first time since Roland Garros 2014 and Alexander Zverev can’t hit a second serve to save his life? Well, then, I’m predicting them both to make the semifinals at the 2020 Australian Open.

Just kidding—about the prediction part, but the rest of the improbable scenario is true. Muguruza and Zverev are making believers out of the tennis punditry one victory at a time in Melbourne and it has been remarkable to watch both of them power through their draws like they have forgotten how to lose.


Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

After years of teasing us with his Masters titles and Top 10 wins, Alexander Zverev’s bandwagon was pretty much empty ahead of the Happy Slam this year. Why? Because he had just gone 0-3 at ATP Cup averaging over 10 double-faults per match. A few weeks--and several six hour days on court--later and Zverev is the man of the hour down under.

And while there was hope surrounding Muguruza thanks to her new partnership with Conchita Martinez, nobody in their right mind thought that she’d turn things around so quickly. Today during ESPN’s broadcast of her straight-sets win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Mary Jo Fernandez said that she had talked to Martinez about Muguruza, and even the Hall of Famer wasn’t expecting success for her charge to happen so soon. According to Fernandez, it was Muguruza’s thumping of Elina Svitolina in the third round that really raised eyebrows for Martinez. Not only was she playing great, Muguruza was also clear of the viral illness that was bothering her in her first two rounds.

Onward and upward go Zverev and Muguruza. Improbable semifinalists for sure, but the talent is there and it’s taking center stage right now.

Federer Survives with Grit

How crazy was it to see Roger Federer scratching and clawing his way out of a seemingly bottomless pit against Tennys Sandgren on Day 9? The Fed was clearly ailing with what we would later learn was a groin injury and he had to win this contest on on guts and guile, because there wasn’t very much of the old Federer magic on avail on this day.

But there are many ways to win a tennis match, and it doesn’t always take an explosive pair of legs to get it done. Federer buckled down and dangled over the precipice, with Sandgren surging and earning three match points with the Swiss serving at 5-6 in the fourth.


Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

And this is where Sandgren lost the match. He committed unforced errors on each point, showing to Federer what he needed to see—that he was going to get some help if he just played it smart. Make no mistake, Federer had to work for it. He wiggled out of that game and then was facing triple match point in the tiebreaker before he worked his next bit of magic. He played the points conservatively, doing the best with what he had and—lo and behold—it proved to be enough. The sixth match point save is the one we will forever remember because it was crafty and precise tennis that enabled Federer to gain the advantage and snake the drive volley winner from the forecourt.

The seventh match point came with Federer serving at 6-7 in the breaker. By then it was all but over. Federer would snage the fourth set, come to life in the fifth and, thanks to some adrenaline or maybe pain pills kicking in, look pretty stellar finishing it off.

It wasn’t a work of perfection or sheer genius, but it was Federer in dogfight mode, relishing the time and place and the opportunity to be a magic maker.

Make it 22 times that Roger Federer has saved match points and won a tour-level tennis match. He’s also blown match points and lost 22 times. This legend has played some seriously entertaining and dramatic matches in his time. Let’s hope he plays another one tomorrow against Novak Djokovic… Even if he doesn’t, good on him for getting there.

Barty a Baller

Shouldering the expectations of her nation, and carrying the No.1 ranking at a Slam—those are two of the most immense tasks that a player can deal with and, wow, full credit to Ash Barty for walking the walk, talking the talk and basically doing everything that has been expected of her and more thus far at the Aussie Open.

Earlier in the tournament Barty said the following words after her third-round win over Elena Rybakina.

“I know if a player is going to beat me, they're going to have to play a very high-quality match for a long period of time. It's not just the first three or four games or first set, it's across a three-set match. That's the challenge I try to present to my opponents as often as possible.”

I posted those words on Twitter and somebody replied that those were awful big words for someone with a 1-10 record against the Top 20 at the majors. The tweeter had a point. But Barty is rendering his point mute with her play.

She earned her first Top 10 win at a major against Petra Kvitova in a stellar display on Day 9, and she just oozed conviction, poise and competitive intellect in that match. There is nothing like watching a player fully realize her ambition and potential on a tennis court, and it feels like Ash Barty is in the process of doing that right now in Melbourne. Two steps to go…

Kenin the Competitor Gets High Marks

Some players just blow you away with their attitude and American Sofia Kenin is most certainly one of them. You watch her compete and you just think to yourself, wow, this kid is not gonna stop until she gets to the top. It might not even matter if the 21-year-old has a game that is not quite big enough to be worthy of a World No.1. As the saying goes it is about the size of the fight in the dog and not the size of the dog in the fight.

Kenin is a Halepeno-sized firecracker that has refused to take no for an answer for the better part of the last 18 months, and that explains why she’s got three titles to her name and why she is making a beeline for the Top 10.

Kenin is freakishly competitive and also a gifted striker of the ball that plays some of the most incomprehensible angles that we’ve seen of late. She’s a metronomic ball-striking talent that is part counterpuncher and part attacker—a perfect hybrid for all surfaces and all conditions. It honestly looks like she could keep a 20-stroke baseline rally going in her sleep.

She’s mentally ready to own the big stage, it seems, and it should be very interesting to see if she is physically ready to do it, because Barty will make her work when they meet in Thursday’s semifinals.