Grand Slam tennis is back.
In a wild comeback that seemed both improbable and predictable, unlikely, lost and then found, Dominic Thiem battled from two sets down to win the United States Open on Sunday night over Alexander Zverev, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Thiem edged Zverev in a fifth-set tiebreaker that capped a four-hour marathon that included opportunities for Zverev to win and left both men cramping by the end.
Thiem, a 27-year-old Austrian, won his first Grand Slam tournament in his fourth major final. A critical distinction was that this time neither Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic stood on the other side of the net.
One of a group of promising players in their 20s who have long failed to topple the aging but often indomitable Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, Thiem became the first currently active player in his 20s to win a Grand Slam event. He is the first new Grand Slam champion in six years. With Zverev serving for the match at 5-3 in the fifth set, Thiem won the first two points to put the big German on the ropes, then forced him into one too many errors as Zverev could not close the door for the championship.
While this tournament may always be known for the absence of Federer and Nadal and Djokovic’s disqualification for hitting a line judge with a ball, Thiem’s name will be etched in the same font as past champions. There was no discount on his $3 million winner’s check.
