• Austrian beats Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4)• Thiem: ‘Now I’m facing the King of Australia’It is rare that a player wins a slam by beating both
Rafael Nadal and
Novak Djokovic, in either order, in the same fortnight. Stan Wawrinka did it here in 2014 and
Roger Federer came within two points of doing it at
Wimbledon last year in a final against the Serbian that left him shattered.
So, Dominic Thiem, who defeated Nadal in the quarter-finals two days ago and reached the final with an intelligent dismantling of his dangerous but frenzied German friend, Alexander Zverev, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), in the second semi-final on Friday, is poised to join an elite group if he can overcome Djokovic on Sundaytomorrow evening. It is the tallest of orders.