Wednesday 25 / December / 2024
New York: Dominic Thiem on Thursday became the first Austrian ever to reach the semifinals of the US Open.
In the quarter-final match against Alex de Minaur, Thiem secured a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over his opponent. De Minaur, 21, was bidding to become the youngest US Open semifinalist since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009. Thiem will now take on Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final of the competition.
"I had a great feeling from the first moment on. There is no Roger, Rafa, Novak, but there is Daniil, Sascha and Pablo now," US Open's official website quoted Thiem as saying.
"There are three other amazing players. Every single one of us deserves this first major title. Everybody will give it all. Once we step on the court, those other three are forgotten anyway," he added.
Victoria Azarenka cruised into the semi-finals of the US Open after a dominating win over Elise Mertens.
In the quarter-final match, Azarenka claimed a 6-1, 6-0 win over her opponent. With this win, Azarenka has set up a clash against Serena Williams, who had defeated Tsvetana Pironkova to advance in the competition. Azarenka has lost two heartbreaking US Open finals to Williams -- in 2012 and 2013. She is excited for the semi-final against Williams and looking at it as an "amazing opportunity".
"Can it get any better?" US Open's official website quoted Azarenka as saying when asked about the matchup with fellow mother, Williams.
"For me, it can't. I'm so excited about this. It's an amazing opportunity to play against a champion, someone who I respect a lot, who is my friend. I'm just so excited for this opportunity and I hope people are excited for this match," she added.
