he Austrian Dominic Thiem and Russian Daniil Medvedev will play an unexpected final tomorrow at the London Tennis Masters (ATP Finals), after today defeating the two best players in the ATP world ranking, Serbian Novak Djokovic and Spanish Rafael Nadal , respectively.
In the first turn Thiem (3) beat the world number one, Djokovic, 7-5, 6-7 (10) and 7-6 (5) and went on to his second Masters final, after the loss last year.
Djokovic, who was looking for his sixth title at the Masters to equal the Swiss Roger Federer, dominated the tie break of the third set 4/0, although Thiem turned things around with great serves and good returns and ended up winning in the semifinals, in a match which lasted two hours and 54 minutes at the O2 Arena.
Thiem, led by the Chilean Nicolás Massú, won his only Grand Slam this year, the US Open, in addition to being a finalist at the 2020 Australian Open (he lost precisely to Djokovic).
Furthermore, under Massú’s direction, Thiem conquered his only 1,000 Masters, at Indian Wells 2019, and reached his second ATP Masters final. At the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, Thiem lost in the final to Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.
His rival in the final will be Medvedev (4), who in the second round beat Nadal (2) by 3-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-3. It will be seen from 3 pm on ESPN.
The Russian, winner of the group in which Argentine Diego Schwartzman played, is the only undefeated in the tournament and also beat Nadal for the first time in his career after three defeats.
Medvedev, 24, born in Moscow and residing in Monaco, has eight titles, one this year (Masters 1000 de Paris-Bercy). For the Spaniard, 13 times champion of Roland Garros, the Masters is his great pending account: he could never be champion. (GG) (World D)