Diego Schwartzman did not return in any dazzling form after the coronavirus pause. It was only at the clay Masters in Rome that he won two matches in a row for the first time and started his apparently life form.
On the 10th attempt he defeated Rafael Nadal and on the 18th attempt he scored the premiere scalp of the member Big 3. In the Italian capital he finally made it to his biggest final and now he is experiencing his most successful grand slam.
At the French Open, the 28-year-old Argentine reached the quarterfinals of the grand slam tournament for the fourth time in his career without losing a set, and today he won his first semifinal. He fought for him only after 5 hours and 8 minutes 7-6 5-7 6-7 7-6 6-2 finalist of the last two years Dominica Thiema.
The match offered a very even battle. Schwartzman won the first set in a tie-break and was in the second 5-4 three times two balls from a 2-0 lead, but did not make it to the setball. In the third set, the Argentine tennis player led 5-3, but did not hold the service, then did not use the setball and lost 1-2.
In the fourth set, Schwartzman did not use three sets in the 5-4 and 40-0 state and almost regretted it. A total of three times he was only two points from the defeat, but he did not have to face the match and forced the fifth set. In it, Thiem ran out of strength to perform an offensive game, and the Argentine, a year older, took advantage of it.
“I was so nervous because I felt a chance today. In the end, I deserved to win,” commented Schwartzman, who will become a Top 10 player for the first time on Monday.
“Dominic is now one of the best players in the world. He won the last grand slam, here he was twice in the final … He’s my friend, I respect him a lot. That’s why this match was so important to me,” added one of the smallest players on the circuit. .
Thiem won the US Open in New York three weeks ago and won the premier grand slam title. He did not miss the semifinals in Paris for four years and the last two years ended in a final defeat for him, but this year he dropped out earlier.
“It was a real roller coaster ride. Of course I feel empty and disappointed now, but I have nothing to blame. And I’m happy with Diego. Losing with a friend hurts a little less,” Thiem said.
“For the first time in my life, I played a match that lasted five hours. I’ve had enough, physically and mentally on the edge. Diego was better and deservedly won. But I’m very happy with this season. I wanted to win a grand slam and I succeeded.” added the Austrian tennis player.
Schwartzman now has two days off to regenerate before Friday’s semifinals. In the fight for the overall 10th final, he will challenge the twelve-time champion Rafaela Nadala, whom he surprised three weeks ago in Rome, or an Italian young man Jannika Sinnera. They started the quarterfinal duel at 22:35 CEST.
| • Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals • |
| 22:35 | Nadal (2-Šp.) – Sinner (It.) |
| Schwartzman (12-Arg.) – Thiem (3-Rak.) 7-6 (1) 5-7 6-7 (6) 7-6 (5) 6-2 |
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