WATCH: Emotional Dominic Thiem basks in the limelight in front of home fans after saving 5 match points to reach first ATP final since 2020
Dominic Thiem reached his first ATP final since 2020 by beating Laslo Djere in a thrilling semifinal in Kitzbuhel.
The Austrian entered the semifinals of the Generali Open with wins over Facundo Bagnis, Zhizhen Zhang, and Arthur Rinderknech, the latter two coming after he was a set down.
Thiem faced fifth-seed Laslo Djere in the final four of the ATP 250 tournament and the latter won a tightly-fought opening set via a tie-break. However, the 2020 US Open champion bounced back in the second set and won it 7-5 to force the match into a third set.
The final set was a tight contest with neither player willing to back down. Thiem saved three match points in the last game of the set and held his nerve to force a tie-break.
Here, the Austrian saved another two match points before winning it 10-8 and reaching his first title clash since the 2020 ATP Finals.
The match came to an end after Djere was unable to send a strong forehand from Thiem to the other side of the net. The 29-year-old was ecstatic as he raised his arms in the air.
Dominic Thiem will face Sebastian Baez in the final of the Generali Open
The Austrian star will take on Sebastian Baez in the final of the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Argentine having beaten him 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 in the quarterfinals of last year's Swedish Open in Bastad.
Baez was unseeded in Kitzbuhel and reached the semifinals following straight-set wins over Hamad Medjedovic, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Alex Molcan.
Here, he faced top seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry and beat him 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 to reach the fifth singles final of his career and his second in 2023.
Thiem, who is currently ranked 116th in the world, has won 13 out of 30 matches so far this season. The 29-year-old's run in Kitzbuhel is enough to help him return to the Top 100 of the ATP rankings, and victory over Baez in the final will see him reach the Top 80.