Diego Schwartzman: 'I knew I could beat Dominic Thiem in Paris'

Diego Schwartzman couldn't find his best tennis once the season started again in August, suffering early losses in Cincinnati, the US Open and Kitzbuhel. The Argentine returned at his best in Rome and Roland Garros, reaching the final in Italy and the semis in France to grab 1320 points and find himself in the top-10 for the first time. Diego defeated Rafa in Rome and set another clash against the Spaniard at Roland Garros following an epic 7-6, 5-7, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Dominic Thiem in five hours and eight minutes. Speaking about his triumph over the Austrian, Schwartzman said he knew that Thiem could lose a match in Paris, playing with much confidence and finding his way over the finish line. It was one of the Majors' best encounters in 2020, keeping the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier on their feet before Diego shifted into a higher gear and toppled a great friend in the deciding set.

It's hard to describe everything that happened in a thrilling contest between two of the finest clay-courters, with each of the opening four sets lasting for over an hour for complete drama and excitement. Trailing two sets to one, Schwartzman grabbed the fourth set tie break and gathered momentum for the decider, where Thiem had nothing left in the tank, playing the second marathon in a couple of days. Schwartzman had better numbers in the first set, dropping 12 points behind the initial shot and hitting 13 winners and 11 unforced errors. Still, Thiem fought until the tie break, firing 19 winners and mistakes and opening a 4-2 gap before losing the advantage straight after that. Thiem saved a break point in the first game with an ace, landing more good serves to avoid an early setback. They had three holds at love before Schwartzman experienced the first troubles behind the initial shot, getting broken at 2-3 when Thiem placed a forehand winner at the net.

Diego Schwartzman defeated Dominic Thiem in five sets at Roland Garros.

Instead of confirming the lead, Dominic netted a drop shot a few minutes later to get broken at 15, keeping the rival on the positive side and extending break chances with him in games eight and nine. The servers passed those challenges and reached a tie break that Diego claimed 7-1 with a backhand crosscourt winner, gathering a massive boost after 61 minutes. The second set lasted even longer, with Thiem having the upper hand after taming his strokes nicely. The Argentine sprayed more than 20 unforced mistakes, unable to deal with the rival's strokes and suffering two breaks from nine chances given to Dominic. The Austrian grabbed an early break and forged a 3-1 advantage, losing it following a double fault in game six. Schwartzman repelled seven break chances at 4-4, staying in touch but suffering a break at 5-5, allowing Thiem to take the set with a hold at 30 in game 12 after 70 minutes.

The servers were far from their best in set number three, with three breaks on each side in the opening nine games. Schwartzman wasted a 40-0 lead on serve at 5-3 and a set point on the return in the next one, still pulling a late break at 5-6 to reach a tie break but losing it 8-6 when Thiem placed a smash winner to fall two sets to one down after three hours and 20 minutes! The Argentine scored breaks in games three and five in set number four, serving for the set at 5-4 but wasting three set points to keep Dominic alive. With no room for errors in the tie break, Diego claimed it 7-5 following Thiem's backhand error to gain momentum ahead of the decider. He had more energy in the decisive moments, delivering four fine holds and stealing Thiem's serve twice to take the set 6-2 and advance into the first Major semi-final.

"I reached the top-10 after a great opening week at Roland Garros, followed by that great win over Dominic Thiem. Dominic won the US Open, but I knew he could lose in Paris and that I would have my chances. It happened exactly like that; I played a great match with much confidence," Diego Schwartzman said. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3pmpmrQ