Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem: Is this the beginning of a new era?

Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem: is this the beginning of a new era? The German and the Austrian will play their first semifinal at the Australian Open, an incredible achievement. Thiem, a two-time French Open finalist, also has the chance to reach the final in Melbourne. Before he will face his friend Zverev, who, for the first time in his career, managed to pass the quarterfinals in a Slam.

Thiem's ​​victory over Rafael Nadal can be interpreted as the beginning of a new era. Dominic showed all his extraordinary improvements on hard-court, a surface on which he is perfectly at ease now. Zverev who was, for years considered to be a weaker player in the Slams, put an end to a negative period that lasted more than a year, reaching his best result in a Major.

In their head-to-head, Thiem leads 6-2. The Austrian leads 2-1 on hard-court matches. They will play their third challenge in a Slam after two at the French Open, both of which were won by Thiem, in 2016 and 2018.

The winner of this match will face the defending champion Novak Djokovic, who once again defeated his rival Roger Federer, in the first semifinal of the Australian Open 2020. Winning the title will not be easy for Thiem or Zverev: beating Djokovic at this moment is an almost impossible goal for anyone, especially at the Rod Laver Arena, where the Serb has already won seven editions of the tournament.

Yet seeing one of these two play the final in Melbourne will be a very important moment for the ATP Tpur. Finally, there are players who are ready to challenge the Big Three. Maybe they won't win a Slam yet, but the prospects for change, like it or not, are progressing faster.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/36FhZCk