This Sunday is the Men’s US Open final between Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem. Both are in their first major final in their careers and they are chasing history. Whoever wins will be the first winner to be born in the 1990s to have won a Grand Slam title.
The Big Three Dominance
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have dominated over the past years and haven’t left room for the others. The last time none of the three were in a Grand Slam final was in 2014 US Open final. That year Marin Cilic defeated Kei Nishikori in straight sets. This also means that since 2004 that none of the big three have been in a semifinal. The dominance of these three is just breathtaking. They have been greedy when it comes to Grand Slams and have been showing it for years.
Alexander Zverev’s Road To The Final
Sascha had a tough first round match against Kevin Anderson. The South African took a set from the German but eventually lost in four sets. In the second round, Zverev beat Nakashima in four sets. The third round saw him defeat Mannarino in four sets and coming back to win it while dropping the first set. In the fourth round he defeated Fokina who was no match in three sets. In the quarter-finals he had a tougher opponent in Borna Coric. He lost the first set but then came back and won the next three sets wo win in four. His toughest test of the tournament was no doubt Carreño Busta. He was down two sets and came back to win the next three.
Dominic Thiem’s Road To The Final
The Austrian had an easy first round match since his opponent Jaume Munar retired in just two sets. He then cruised in the second round beating Sumit Nagal in straight sets. His third round match was a little more difficult as he played a former US Open champion in Marin Cilic. He went on to defeat the Croatian in four sets. His fourth round match against Auger Aliassime looked tough on paper but he beat him easily in three sets. He then beat De Minaur in three sets in which looked to be difficult as well but he won in straight sets. His semi-final match against Medvedev also looked difficult as the Russian hadn’t lost a set but he beat him in three sets. The last two sets were hard fought as he won them in tiebreakers.
Breath Of Fresh Air
Since there will be no Nadal, Federer, or Djokovic, we will get to see a new champion. Finally, there will be a new champ and we will see if this will motivate them in the future Grand Slams to push further. This is good for the sport as we can see something different and not see the same players in the finals. Some people had even said that it was boring to watch the same three players in the finals and wanted something different.
Exciting Final
To conclude, this final will be missing one of the big three but promises a great match, nonetheless. This will be their second meeting this year as Thiem defeated Zverev in the semifinals of the Australian Open in four sets. Expect a high intensity match full of high quality tennis as both will look to get their first Grand Slam trophy.
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