Entering the third set of his 2020 US Open finals match against Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem was not just pitted against his opponent but also history. Thiem was two sets behind and needed to do something no one has done in the last 71 years if he was to win his first career Grand Slam.

Zverev opened the match with confidence, and cruised to 6-2 win in the first set, and closed out the second with 6-4. Thiem then cleaned up his game, got more confidence in his serve, and rallied back to even the score with 6-4 and 6-3 wins.

The fifth and final set saw even more excitement, as both players had a chance to serve for the Championship. Zverev got his at 5-3 lead, but couldn’t close out the match, while Thiem missed on the same opportunity having 6-5 lead.

Ultimately, it all got down to a tiebreaker. Zverev got to a 2-0 lead, but a couple of his double faults allowed Thiem an opportunity to get an edge in the decisive moments. The Austrian seized it and closed out the tiebreaker, thanks to a backhand error from Zverev.

“It’s amazing how far away our journey brought us to share this moment with you, and really I wish for you we could have two winners today,” said Thiem after the match. “We both deserved it. You’re going to make it 100 percent. You’re going to make your parents proud, your family proud at home.”

For Dominic Thiem, the Grand Slam win was a long time coming. Between 2016 and 2019, he got more ATP wins than any other pro. He also played three Grand Slam finals before, but couldn’t get over the hump, losing two times at French Open to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

However, Nadal didn’t come to the US Open due to coronavirus concerns while Djokovic was defaulted, opening the way for Thiem to finally claim a deserved win at a major tournament. And, in a memorable fashion, claimed he did.

The post Dominic Thiem Overcomes 2-Set Deficit to Win 2020 US Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Serena Williams’ bid to win a record 24th Grand Slam at the US Open 2020 has come to an end. Williams was eliminated from the tournament on Thursday night in the semi-finals match against No.18-ranked Victoria Azarenko.

Williams won the first set with a blowout 1-6, and it seemed like the 38-year-old star is poised to make her third consecutive finals appearance. However, Azarenko rallied back and won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to secure a shot for her first US Open title.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” said Wiliams after the match. “At the same time, I did what I could. I feel like other times I’ve been close, and I could have done better. I felt like I gave a lot.”

After the defeat, Williams now turns her attention to French Open, where she last won in 2015. This year’s edition of the tournament is set to start on September 21st.

Azarenko, on the other hand, will meet Naomi Osaka in the Finals of the US Open and look to win her third career Grand Slam and first since 2013’s Australian Open. The 31-year-old Belarusian played the US Open finals twice before, last time in 2013, and lost both times to Williams.

“I think seven years ago, after I won the Australian Open and stuff, and playing kind of consistently with good results, it was kind of expected for me to be in the final. I don’t think that was the case this year,” said Azarenko. “But it feels more fun this year, more fulfilling, more pleasant for me. It feels nice, nicer.”

The post Serena Williams Eliminated from US Open by Victoria Azarenko appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Novak Djokovic’s bid to win his 18th Grand Slam title ended in a bizarre fashion. Djokovic exited the 2020 US Open via default after accidentally hitting a line judge with a tennis ball.

The incident happened in the first set of Djokovic’s fourth-round match on Sunday against Pablo Carreno Busta. After losing a point and falling behind 6-5, the 33-year-old Serbian slammed the ball behind him without looking where he was aiming.

The ball, unfortunately, hit the line judge in the throat, causing the woman to collapse.

After discussing the incident with Djokovic for around 10 minutes, the decision was made to default the current No.1 male tennis player in the world from the tournament. He then shook hands with his opponent and left the court without speaking with journalists.

Djokovic later addressed the event on social media, saying he was sorry for his behavior.

“I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram. “I apologize to the US Open tournament and everyone associated for my behavior.”

Novak Djokovic was the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s US Open, entering the tournament with a 26-0 record in 2020. Djokovic was also the only one of the tennis’ “Big 3” present at the tournament, considering Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal decided not to take part in the event.

Djokovic previously won five out of seven Grand Slam Tournaments and needs only two to tie Federer’s record 20 titles.

With Djokovic out, the US Open will now get a first-time tournament winner, considering none of the remaining players have previously gone all the way at Flushing Meadows. The last time this happened was in 2014 when Marin Cilic won the tournament.

The post Novak Djokovic Exits US Open for Accidentally Hitting Line Judge with Tennis Ball appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal won’t defend his US Open title in 2020. Nadal, who is currently the no. 2 men’s tennis player in the world, confirmed on social media that he will skip this year’s tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic concerns.

“After many thoughts, I have decided not to play this year’s US Open,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it.”

The 34-year-old Spaniard further explained his decision in a series of tweets. 

Rafael Nadal claimed the US Open title last year after beating Daniil Medvedev in a marathon 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 match that lasted almost five hours. This was Nadal’s fourth US Open career win, while he also increased his Grand Slam tally to 19. The all-time record is currently held by Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slams. 

Nadal’s announcement comes days after several other high-profile names dropped out of the tournament including No.1 women’s tennis player in the world Ashleigh Barty and her fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios.

The 2020 US Open is scheduled to take place between August 31st and September 13th. It will be the first major tennis event since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in March.

The post Rafael Nadal Won’t Play In This Year’s US Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Entering the third set of his 2020 US Open finals match against Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem was not just pitted against his opponent but also history. Thiem was two sets behind and needed to do something no one has done in the last 71 years if he was to win his first career Grand Slam.

Zverev opened the match with confidence, and cruised to 6-2 win in the first set, and closed out the second with 6-4. Thiem then cleaned up his game, got more confidence in his serve, and rallied back to even the score with 6-4 and 6-3 wins.

The fifth and final set saw even more excitement, as both players had a chance to serve for the Championship. Zverev got his at 5-3 lead, but couldn’t close out the match, while Thiem missed on the same opportunity having 6-5 lead.

Ultimately, it all got down to a tiebreaker. Zverev got to a 2-0 lead, but a couple of his double faults allowed Thiem an opportunity to get an edge in the decisive moments. The Austrian seized it and closed out the tiebreaker, thanks to a backhand error from Zverev.

“It’s amazing how far away our journey brought us to share this moment with you, and really I wish for you we could have two winners today,” said Thiem after the match. “We both deserved it. You’re going to make it 100 percent. You’re going to make your parents proud, your family proud at home.”

For Dominic Thiem, the Grand Slam win was a long time coming. Between 2016 and 2019, he got more ATP wins than any other pro. He also played three Grand Slam finals before, but couldn’t get over the hump, losing two times at French Open to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

However, Nadal didn’t come to the US Open due to coronavirus concerns while Djokovic was defaulted, opening the way for Thiem to finally claim a deserved win at a major tournament. And, in a memorable fashion, claimed he did.

The post Dominic Thiem Overcomes 2-Set Deficit to Win 2020 US Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Serena Williams’ bid to win a record 24th Grand Slam at the US Open 2020 has come to an end. Williams was eliminated from the tournament on Thursday night in the semi-finals match against No.18-ranked Victoria Azarenko.

Williams won the first set with a blowout 1-6, and it seemed like the 38-year-old star is poised to make her third consecutive finals appearance. However, Azarenko rallied back and won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to secure a shot for her first US Open title.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” said Wiliams after the match. “At the same time, I did what I could. I feel like other times I’ve been close, and I could have done better. I felt like I gave a lot.”

After the defeat, Williams now turns her attention to French Open, where she last won in 2015. This year’s edition of the tournament is set to start on September 21st.

Azarenko, on the other hand, will meet Naomi Osaka in the Finals of the US Open and look to win her third career Grand Slam and first since 2013’s Australian Open. The 31-year-old Belarusian played the US Open finals twice before, last time in 2013, and lost both times to Williams.

“I think seven years ago, after I won the Australian Open and stuff, and playing kind of consistently with good results, it was kind of expected for me to be in the final. I don’t think that was the case this year,” said Azarenko. “But it feels more fun this year, more fulfilling, more pleasant for me. It feels nice, nicer.”

The post Serena Williams Eliminated from US Open by Victoria Azarenko appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Novak Djokovic’s bid to win his 18th Grand Slam title ended in a bizarre fashion. Djokovic exited the 2020 US Open via default after accidentally hitting a line judge with a tennis ball.

The incident happened in the first set of Djokovic’s fourth-round match on Sunday against Pablo Carreno Busta. After losing a point and falling behind 6-5, the 33-year-old Serbian slammed the ball behind him without looking where he was aiming.

The ball, unfortunately, hit the line judge in the throat, causing the woman to collapse.

After discussing the incident with Djokovic for around 10 minutes, the decision was made to default the current No.1 male tennis player in the world from the tournament. He then shook hands with his opponent and left the court without speaking with journalists.

Djokovic later addressed the event on social media, saying he was sorry for his behavior.

“I need to go back within and work on my disappointment and turn this all into a lesson for my growth and evolution as a player and human being,” Djokovic wrote on Instagram. “I apologize to the US Open tournament and everyone associated for my behavior.”

Novak Djokovic was the overwhelming favorite to win this year’s US Open, entering the tournament with a 26-0 record in 2020. Djokovic was also the only one of the tennis’ “Big 3” present at the tournament, considering Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal decided not to take part in the event.

Djokovic previously won five out of seven Grand Slam Tournaments and needs only two to tie Federer’s record 20 titles.

With Djokovic out, the US Open will now get a first-time tournament winner, considering none of the remaining players have previously gone all the way at Flushing Meadows. The last time this happened was in 2014 when Marin Cilic won the tournament.

The post Novak Djokovic Exits US Open for Accidentally Hitting Line Judge with Tennis Ball appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal won’t defend his US Open title in 2020. Nadal, who is currently the no. 2 men’s tennis player in the world, confirmed on social media that he will skip this year’s tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic concerns.

“After many thoughts, I have decided not to play this year’s US Open,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it.”

The 34-year-old Spaniard further explained his decision in a series of tweets. 

Rafael Nadal claimed the US Open title last year after beating Daniil Medvedev in a marathon 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 match that lasted almost five hours. This was Nadal’s fourth US Open career win, while he also increased his Grand Slam tally to 19. The all-time record is currently held by Roger Federer, who has 20 Grand Slams. 

Nadal’s announcement comes days after several other high-profile names dropped out of the tournament including No.1 women’s tennis player in the world Ashleigh Barty and her fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios.

The 2020 US Open is scheduled to take place between August 31st and September 13th. It will be the first major tennis event since the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in March.

The post Rafael Nadal Won’t Play In This Year’s US Open appeared first on SportzBonanza.