A US Open unlike any other finished unlike any other – with an unprecedented fifth-set tiebreaker as Dominic Thiem became the first man in 71 years to win the tournament final after dropping the opening two sets.
So close to defeat in a nearly empty Arthur Ashe Stadium – fans were banned because of the coronavirus pandemic – Thiem slowly but surely turned things around against a faltering Alexander Zverev and surged to a 2-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory at Flushing Meadows to earn his first grand slam title.
When a backhand from Zverev landed wide on the third championship point, a weary Thiem dropped to his back way behind the baseline and covered his face with his hands.
When he arose, he was met by Zverev, who walked around the net to clasp hands, then embrace his friend and foe, two sights rarely seen in this era of social distancing.
Thiem then rested his head on the shoulder of the taller Zverev, a 23-year-old from Germany who himself came within two points of what would have been his first major triumph.
“I wish we could have two winners today,” Thiem said. “I think we both deserved it.”
The 27-year-old from Austria is the first man to win the American grand slam tournament after trailing 2-0 in sets in the final since Pancho Gonzalez did it against Ted Schroeder in 1949 at an event then known as the US Championships and held in Forest Hills.
The event never had been settled by a fifth-set tiebreaker; no major tournament ever had until Novak Djokovic edged Roger Federer that way at Wimbledon in 2019.
“I wish you would have missed a little bit more so I could have held that trophy up,” Zverev said, choking up when he mentioned his parents, “but here I am, giving the runner’s-up speech.”
As Thiem stepped forward to pose for pictures with his shiny new bit of hardware, Zverev remained a few feet behind, one hand clutching his less-impressive silver tray, the other hand on a hip.
The proceedings took four hours, two minutes. And to think: After just 90 minutes, Zverev was up by two sets and a break in the third at 2-1.
But Zverev, of all people, should have known what might have seemed at the time like an impossible hill to climb for Thiem was, indeed, achievable. After all, in Thursday’s semifinals, it was Zverev who trailed 2-0 in sets against Pablo Carreno Busta before coming back to win.
Thiem began the day 0-3 in grand-slam finals, but always faced a member of the Big Three of men’s tennis in those others. This time, he was the favourite and came out jittery, but eventually worked his way out of that, while Zverev went from cool and confident to passive and pushed around.
While this was the No.7-ranked Zverev’s first slam final, this was the first one the No.3-ranked Thiem was supposed to win, following losses to 12-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019, then to eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic at Melbourne Park this February.
Normally, the US Open closes each grand slam season, but what about 2020 has been normal?
“Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since WWII, while the French Open was postponed from its originally scheduled May start and now will begin in two weeks.
