Thiem Out For Another Title In Munich; Almagro, Dimitrov Sunday Favorites Against First-Time Title Hopefuls
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Dominic Theim knocked down wunderkind Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the Munich final where he’ll face another German in Philipp Kohlschreiber.
“It’s unbelievable how he plays at 19 years old,” Thiem said. “I lost the first set and then I changed a little bit… more slice, more drop shots, and I think this was one of the key points to win it.”
Thiem will seek his third title of the season after Buenos Aires and Acapulco. Today’s victory was also the 22-year-old’s 29th of the season, tops on tour.
Kohlschreiber cruised past Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4 to reach his 14th career final. He leads Thiem 1-0 as he tries to win his seventh career title, first since Kitzbuhel last summer.
“He’s had a huge season so far. He’s a very hot player, very tough to play against him,” Kohlschreiber said of the Austrian. “I hope we’re going to see a great final tomorrow.”
There will be a Spanish champion in Estoril as Nicolas Almagro and Pablo Carreno Busta battle for the biggest crown in Portugal.
Almagro ended the hopes of bad boy Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-5. “It was a tough match because I was playing against one of the most important players on the tour, a future star,” Almagro said. “The conditions were tough but I played with intensity and focus, and it worked.”
Carreno Busta beat Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-3.
Almagro is appearing in his 23rd career final, seeking a 13th title, first since 2012 Nice. The 24-year-old Carreno Busta is in his second career title match after a runner-up effort earlier this year in Sao Paulo.
In Istanbul, Diego Schwartzman will bid for his first career ATP title against Grigor Dimitrov who seeks a fifth, and first since last summer in Queen’s.
The Bulgarian needed two tiebreaks to beat Ivo Karlovic while Schwartzman defeated compatriot Federico Delbonis in three sets 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2.
“It’s been a great week for me,” said Schwartzman, who stunned top seed Bernard Tomic in the second round and saved one match point in beating Damir Dzumhur on Friday. “It’s a dream week. I tried to be focused from the baseline and play more aggressive today. When I broke his serve in the second set, that was the key for the match.
“Tomorrow it’s going to be a tough match. Grigor is an amazing player. I need to recover fast now.”
Schwartzman and Dimitrov have never played before.
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