Roger Federer's Near Miss: Thiem Snatches Victory from Match Points

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer played one of the best matches of the 2019 season at the Madrid Masters. Two great rivals met in the quarter-final, and the Austrian prevailed 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in two hours and ten minutes. Dominic fended off two match points and defeated Roger for the fourth time in six encounters.

The Barcelona Open champion ended Federer's first run on clay since Rome 2016. He stayed calm in the second set's decisive moments and delivered an extra break in the decider to emerge at the top after a titanic battle. Thus, Thiem advanced into his sixth Masters 1000 semi-final and arranged the clash against world no.

1 Novak Djokovic. Almost nothing separated them on the fast clay court in Caja Magica. They grabbed two breaks each, and Thiem won two points more than Federer. After the opening set, the younger player raised his level to stay on level terms with world no.

3, converting only two out of 12 break chances but emerging at the top. Federer served at 84% in the opening set. He dropped only five points in five service games and mounted the pressure on the other side with an aggressive approach, taking all the rhythm off from Thiem.

The Austrian did his best to stay in touch but had to chase the result from the beginning, losing serve in game two after a streak of massive errors.

Roger Federer squandered two match points against Dominic Thiem in Madrid 2019.

Roger confirmed the break with a hold at love and moved 3-0 up after only nine minutes.

The Swiss delivered three more comfortable service games and clinched the opener 6-3 when Thiem sent a forehand long in game nine after 29 minutes. Dominic was a better player in set number two, finding his range and sailing through service games.

The Austrian earned five break chances in games four and six, wasting them and allowing Roger to reach the tie break. It brought all kinds of drama and excitement in 24 points and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats!

Dominic trailed 3-0 before bouncing back and opening a 6-4 advantage. The roller coaster started to spin when Federer saved set points and prolonged the action. The Swiss squandered two match points at 8-7 and 10-9 before fending off five set points to stay locked up at 11-11!

Dominic refused to surrender and blasted a return winner to close the breaker 13-11 and arrange a decider. Carried by this momentum, Thiem scored his first break of the match in the third game after 100 minutes. He forged a 4-2 lead before Roger broke back in game eight after a deep return to extend the drama.

The Austrian was not to be denied, though. He stole Federer's serve again with a return winner for a 5-4 lead and moved over the top with an excellent hold in game ten to celebrate his fourth victory over the Swiss.