A final cushion from Dominic Thiem remains stuck in the net and delivers Diego Schwartzman.
At the end of a 5h8 marathon, the Argentinian lets his joy explode after having for the first time in his career composted his ticket for a semi-final in Grand Slam.
7-6 (7/1), 5-7, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.
A crazy match from the first to the last game. With intense sequences and multiple twists (10 break points converted out of 16 for Schwartzman; 9 out of 22 for Thiem).
He who offered Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals in Rome.
Schwartzman-Thiem, accomplices off the courts.
Long united to the net when it comes to arranging this match which will remain as one of the highlights of the edition.
Schwartzman sometimes gave the impression of missing his chance by putting the Austrian into play, who despite an apparent physical weariness (7 break points missed at 4-4 in the 2nd set) and technical approximations (81 unforced errors) remained in the game, dangerous, ready to bite into the slightest flaws of his rival.
Relieved, the Argentinian could sum up: “The 2nd and 3rd sets presented me with many opportunities that were quite easy to seize.
Yet I let them slip away.
So I was quite unhappy during the 2nd and 3rd sets.
A lot of times I was on the verge of winning the set, but I failed to do so.
So it was a difficult situation.
In the 4th set he started to play extremely well.
I glued to the score at that time.
There were 5-4, 40-0 and he threw amazing strikes, he's one of the best players;
he is able to do so.
At that point, I thought to myself: “well, today I don't know if I'm going to win” because there were many openings that I could have taken, so all the opportunities presented themselves to me. and I failed to make them happen.
Decisive game in the extraordinary 4th set.
In the 5th set, I continued to play my game and tried to be solid.
In the end, I won because he was physically exhausted. ”
The Argentinian was able to resist the incredible angles found by the Austrian, the power, the repetition of the blows and the effects to force the decision in a 5th set (32 ') far from the intensity of the other four (69 minutes of average).
To release Dominic Thiem, semi-finalist of the French Open in 2016 and 2017, finalist in 2018 and 2019. The Argentinian will join the Top 10 for the first time in the next world ranking.
He who had wavered Rafael Nadal, in the quarterfinals in 2018, was reaping the fruits of his patience, succeeding Juan Martin Del Potro (2018) to become the 9th Argentinian in the semi-finals in Paris ... Schwartzman (1.70 m) , little big man, finally invited to the last four of a major tournament.
After having waited a long time, the Polish Iga Swiatek and the Italian Martina Trevisan could enter the scene.
The spectators still present chanted "Rafa, Rafa" hoping to see finally play Rafael Nadal programmed at the end of the program against the young Italian Jannik Sinner.
The marathon contested by Schwartzman and Thiem had deeply disrupted the day's program.
The Argentine will follow the rest with an eye.
To find out the identity of his opponent: “I'm going to have two days off.
So I'm in luck.
I will have time to recover from my emotions.
I feel good after this game.
Before the game today, I managed to win all my matches in three sets.
This is why it is extremely important when you can do it in three sets because sometimes you have to win it in five sets you have to have recharged your batteries beforehand.
I felt very good today.
I think in two days I'll be in great shape again… ”
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