The fifth set started disastrously for the 23-year-old, who had just seen his two-set lead extinguished. Zverev produced numerous unforced errors before double-faulting to lose service.
Just moments later, however, he seemed to have recovered the confidence he had exuded in the earlier sets, as he fought back brilliantly to break Thiem in reply, producing a brilliant drop shot to frustrate the Austrian. He continued to showcase some sublime tennis, utilising his serve game to keep in control of the deciding set.
Late in the match, he proved he was over his mid-match blip as he broke service in emphatic style, forcing Thiem into back-to-back errors to put himself within touching distance.
The pressure appeared to be getting to him again, however, as he committed an unforced error at the net to allow Thiem to break his service at the most crucial time.
