Thiem and Zverev show their true stripes

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  • Real threat: Dominic Thiem.

    Billed as a sneak peek into the future of tennis, the Dominic Thiem-Alexander Zverev third round on Saturday was everything it promised to be: powerful, exciting and very, very tight.

    In an all-adidas zebra vs. zebra showdown between two players who are expected to top the rankings when the new generation takes over, it was Thiem who once again came out triumphant over his teenage friend Zverev, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in a two-hour 50-minute battle.

    It was the third time the pair were facing off within a four-week period, which is perhaps a sign of the kind of rivalry they will have down the road.

    Thiem has swept all three meetings but Zverev showed yesterday on Court Suzanne Lenglen that he is not that far away from the Austrian, who at 22 is three years his senior, is already ranked No15 in the world and owns six ATP titles.

    Zverev’s first ATP final was last week in Nice, where he fell to Thiem, and he was playing in the third round of a major for the first time, making his Roland Garros debut.

    The adidas zebra kits that have been mocked relentlessly from the start of the tournament were seemingly fitting for this clash. It added edge to what was already a tense affair.

    “It’s now already the third match between us, and in Munich we talked about it, that maybe it’s gonna be a nice rivalry. So probably it already started now,” said Thiem.

    Commonly referred to as Sascha, Zverev saved six break points to hold for 6-5 in the opening set and played a solid tiebreak to take a one-set lead.

    The duo went into endless backhand-to-backhand crosscourt exchanges and mixed things up between slices and big-hitting.

    Thiem saved seven of eight break points in the match, and hung on tight to take the next three sets and book a fourth round with Marcel Granollers, who had a walkover after Rafael Nadal withdrew with a wrist injury.

    Thiem and Zverev may be part of the same group of youngsters to watch but there are significant differences between them, besides their age.

    Zverev has an aura of arrogance around him, mixed with confidence while Thiem is simply Mr. Nice Guy.

    Thiem has smoother hands and tortured his opponent with the most fluid drop shots while Zverev has incredible reach, thanks to his 1.98m height, that allows him to turn defence into offence in the blink of an eye. He also frequently finds his first serve when he needs it the most.

    “Obviously it’s a grand slam, it’s best of five, but mentally there was no difference to the other matches (I had with Thiem),” Zverev says nonchalantly of how unfazed he was by the major stage.

    “I think my first time at French Open, getting to the third round was not bad. Even today against a top player like Dominic, who has been playing really well, really, really well on clay this year, I had my chances, as I said. I just didn’t use them well enough. I think that’s why I lost.”

    Both possess tremendous power but one is more explosive when frustrated – Zverev prone to on-court tantrums (some unfortunate language has been used with umpires) while Thiem smiles even when he’s angry.

    “I knew already before the match that it was going to be a very tough one, such a great player, Sascha. And, yeah, I think the little difference today was maybe probably the three years’ age difference,” Thiem said modestly.

    This is Thiem’s second showing in the fourth round at a slam, in 10 appearances, and he came to Roland Garros this year with three titles under his belt in 2016, a No13 seeding and a target on his back.

    Before Nadal withdrew, the masses were anticipating a fourth round epic between them and many thought Thiem would come out victorious.

    Does Thiem feel the same way his ranking and reputation reflect?

    “I think the ranking doesn’t lie. So for sure I feel that I belong there in the top. But, yeah, still I’m kind of missing a really big result, big tournament. I hope it’s gonna happen soon.”

    Zverev has lots of respect for Thiem and made some predictions of his own. Does he think his friend can go all the way in Paris?

    “I think he will most likely beat Granollers, to be honest. We’ll see. The top guys are still playing pretty good. I mean, Novak (Djokovic) is playing really well. We’ll see how far he can go,” said the 19-year-old.

    On what he needs to improve, Zverev added: “I think physically, and then obviously playing more consistent, playing closer to the baseline I think a little bit, trying to be as aggressive as I am throughout the whole match, which sometimes I don’t do.”

    Zverev is part of the ATP’s #NextGen campaign that includes players aged 21 and under who are ranked inside the top-200.

    He is one of the most-talked about teenagers on tour and is expected to enter the top-40 for the first time when the new rankings come out after this tournament.

    When told that he seems to be a natural at dealing with pressure on the big stage compared to other up-and-comers on tour, Zverev refuses to separate himself from the rest.

    “I think all of us young players, we actually deal with it quite well, to be honest. Nick (Kyrgios) deals with it quite well. I can’t really say he has problems dealing with it. He’s been to two quarter-finals in grand slams. He’s quite alright. All the other ones, Borna (Coric) is third round here for the second year in a row. Obviously Thanasi (Kokkinakis) is a bit injured now but he’ll be back.

    “I don’t think we have problems dealing with pressure, to be honest, at the big tournaments right at the moment.”

    World No2, Andy Murray, has always kept his eye on the younger generation, even emerging as somewhat of a mentor to some of them.

    Talking about Thiem and Zverev, the two-time grand slam champion said: “Obviously both are very good. I think Zverev is a little bit younger. Quite different sort of body shapes, body types. Thiem I think probably prefers the clay courts. Zverev I think prefers quicker courts.

    “Dominic moves extremely well. He’s very fast. But he also plays quite far behind the baseline with a lot of spin. Zverev a little bit different; hits the ball flatter.

    “Both of them have very good backhands; forehand I think from Zverev still can improve quite a bit. They are obviously two of the best ones. Thiem is getting up close to the top-10. Has had a very good year so far. Zverev is winning matches most weeks now.

    “They will be playing against each other a lot, I would imagine, over the next 10, 15 years.”

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