Thiem takes out Zverev, to meet Tsitsipas in final

London, November 17

Dominic Thiem beat defending champion Alexander Zverev to join Roger Federer’s conqueror Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the ATP Finals. The Austrian fifth seed saw off the big-serving German 7-5 6-3 on Saturday after Greece’s Tsitsipas, making his debut at the tournament, had earlier beaten Federer 6-3 6-4.

Thiem is playing in his fourth ATP Finals but during his first three trips to the season year-ender, he won only three matches and never advanced out of the group stage at the O2 Arena.

Zverev landed 75 percent of his first serves but Thiem was tougher in the big moments, breaking in the 12th game of the opening set and in the sixth game of the second set. The Austrian also saved all four break points on his racquet. Germany’s Zverev, who beat Novak Djokovic in last year’s final, went toe to toe with Thiem in a relatively uneventful first set but served a double fault to lose the opener 7-5. The seventh seed, 22, regrouped and settled back into his serving rhythm at the beginning of the second set but was broken again to trail 2-4. Thiem fended off a couple of break points in the following game and served out to take the match, winning with a forehand down the line.

“This is a big, big dream coming true for me, it is one of the biggest and most prestigious tournaments of the whole year and I’m getting the chance to play the final,” said Thiem.

The 26-year-old, who reached the final of this year’s French Open, has been considered a clay-court specialist but joked after winning indoors in Vienna last month and now reaching the final in London he was becoming a “big, big fan of faster hard surfaces”. — AFP

Stephens sets eyes on 2020 Olympics

Marina Del Rey: Sloane Stephens said she is ready to turn the page on a disappointing 2019 and shift her focus to climbing the world tennis rankings to qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old American, who won the US Open in 2017 and reached world No. 3 in 2018, struggled this year, failing to make the final at any tournament and falling to world No. 25. “I’m excited to start a new season because midway through 2019, I was ready for it to be over,” Stephens said. “So I’m just looking forward to 2020 and I’m ready for a fresh start. I literally have nothing to lose, a lot in front of me and nowhere to go but up. For me it’s a good position to be in.” High on her list of goals for 2020 is making her second consecutive appearance for Team USA at the Olympics. “I made one before, which was really cool, and I’d obviously love to make a second one and play for my country,” she said. Reuters