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Thiem saves five match points to reach first final since 2020 / Photo: © AFP/File
Thiem saves five match points to reach first final since 2020
Former US Open champion Dominic Thiem reached his first final since 2020 on Friday when he saved five match points to defeat Laslo Djere in the semi-finals of the Kitzbuhuel clay-court tournament.
The Austrian came through 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 7-6 (10/8) after three hours and 30 minutes, saving all 12 break points he faced against his Serbian opponent.
He will face Sebastian Baez of Argentina on Saturday for the title.
Thiem, a former world number three, is now down at 116 in the world after a lengthy battle to overcome a wrist injury.
His last championship match on tour was at the season-ending ATP Finals in 2020.
That was in the same season that he captured his only Grand Slam title at the US Open. His victory in New York was his 17th career trophy and most recent.
World number 72 Baez made Saturday's final by seeing off fellow Argentine and top seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-4.
The 22-year-old arrived in Kitzbuehel with just one win in his previous five tournaments.
"I'm very happy, because the last weeks I didn't have big results, so happy to be in the final," said Baez who defeated Thiem in their only previous meeting at Bastad in Sweden last year.
P. Hansen--BTZ
