The Austrian Thiem defeated Medvedev 6-2, 7-6, 7-6 and flies to the final in New York, where he will face the German Zverev, author of a prodigious comeback (from 0-2 to 3-2) against Carreno Busta. Today the last act of the women’s singles between the Japanese Osaka and the Belarusian Azarenka, who eliminated Serena Williams. The US Open live on Eurosport (Sky channels 210 and 211)
–
It was a mathematician that without those three we would have witnessed something absolutely new for the Us Open: the first time of an Austrian (Dominic Thiem) to the last act of Flushing Meadows and the return of a German (Alexander Zverev) in the New York final after an absence of 26 years, precisely since 1994, when the great Michael Stich he had to bow to the great one Andre Agassi, from Las Vegas, Nevada. But if for Thiem (# 2 of seeding) to get rid of the Russian Daniil Medvedev (3) it was much easier than expected (6-2, 7-6, 7-6 and a match never in question, despite the double tie-break), it took a titanic feat for Sascha Z. to recover the two sets from horror to inexhaustible Spanish Pablo Carreño Busta, ahead 2-0 in an hour and a half of poor play. It had never happened to the 23-year-old from Hamburg to come back from 0-2: it took a magical combination of his forehand + 24 ace to overturn the fate in his favor, closing the practice 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 , 6-4, 6-3 in three hours and 23 minutes.
–
The debutante ball
In the last fifteen years it had only happened on one other occasion that they weren’t Federer, Nadal The Djokovic to play the cup atArthur Ashe Stadium: in 2014. A historic edition, because with the simultaneous elimination of Nole and Roger in their respective semifinals (torpedoed by Kei Nishikori e Marin Cilic, who will then win the tournament) was the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of the Swiss, Serbian and Majorcan players did not participate in a Grand Slam final. However, “The Fall of the Gods” – the title that was the most popular in that September six years ago – lasted the time of a leaf on the autumn trees, and all the talk about generational change went to bless it already in November with the coronation of Djoker to king of the Masters. Everything returned more or less to normal, with some physiological parentheses (the two statements of Andy Murray at Wimbledon, the exploit of Stan Wawrinka), but crumbs when compared to the trophy collection accumulated by the “Big Three” (and counting…). In short, for Thiem and Zverev – on the hunt for the former major, with the Austrian leading 2-1 in the previous – Sunday will be a chance not to be missed …
–
Serena out, Osaka-Azarenka the women’s final
Speaking of “collections”, Serena Williams must postpone the dream – which has become almost a curse for the 38-year-old – of winning her 24th Grand Slam and equaling the record of Margaret Court. This time the queen must surrender to the overbearing return of a magisterial Victoria Azarenka, a friend-rival of all time and a mother like her, capable of canceling a nightmare first set with a double 6-3 (6-1 without the American’s history) and recovering the final of the US Open, where she had been missing for 7 years (defeat in 2013 but also in 2012 by Serenona). The former world number 1 – two Australian Open and 21 showcase tournaments – will face now Naomi Osaka, no. 4 of seeding, which in the other semi-final of the women’s draw had its work cut out to get the better of the surprising American Jennifer Brady, measure 7-6 3-6 6-3. The Japanese – winner of Flushing Meadows in 2018 against the usual Williams – will therefore have the rematch of the Cincinnati Tournament last August, when she forfeited before the match against the 31-year-old Belarusian due to a muscle injury to her left thigh. Three precedents between the two finalists: in 2016 the Azarenka won in Melbourne; in 2018 and 2019 successes of Osaka at the Internazionali di Roma and Roland Garros.
–
Us Open, the results of the semifinals
Male singular
[5] Zverev (GER) v Carreno Busta (ESP) [20] 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
[3] Medvedev (RUS) c. Thiem (AUT) [2] 6-2, 7-6, 7-6
Singular female
[4] Osaka (JPN) c. Brady (USA) [28] 7-6 3-6 6-3
[3] S. Williams (USA) c. Azarenka (BLR) 6-1, 3-6, 3-6
–
– .
