The Austrian powered passed his Serbian counterpart in a three set thriller. He is now guaranteed to reach the last four of the tournament in London.
Image: picture-alliance/T. Derry
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Dominic Thiem beat Novak Djokovic on Tuesday in dramatic fashion, winning a third set tie break, to seal the match 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, and in doing so booking his place in the ATP Finals last four.
The Austrian saw off his Serbian opponent but, unsurprisingly, was made to work for it by the multiple Grand Slam winner.
Djokovic, who is hoping to finish the year as world number one for the sixth time, fought back from a break down twice in the third set, to force the match into a decisive tie break. However, he ultimately succumbed to the world number five and will now play Roger Federer on Thursday with the winner assured of a semifinal berth, and the loser going home.
Tit for tat
The two players traded blows early in the first set, both breaking each other's serve, before the match settled down, heading inexorably towards a tie-break, one Djokovic never looked like losing.
The second set, however, saw a dramatic turn of the tide, as Thiem found his stride, hitting a series of winners that enabled him to win the set 6-3.
Made to work for it
Thiem broke Djokovic's serve early in the third set and looked on course to seal victory before four unforced errors in the sixth game of the deciding set cost the Austrian dearly.
Incredibly, Thiem managed to break his opponent's serve once more to lead 6-5, only to blow the opportunity, leading the match into the dramatic ending the London crowd were enthralled by.
High Five: 5 facts about Boris Becker you probably didn't know
Not much from Boris Becker's life has been kept private. Still, here are a few details from the tennis star's life you perhaps didn't know.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/R. Schrader
Boris, the parenting counselor
Boris Becker is rather known as a bon vivant, but the tennis star is also the author of a parenting guide. In "Was Kinder stark macht" (What makes children strong), from 2007, he wrote about his love for the three children he already had at the time. However, the book is more for fans than for worried parents; critics didn't consider the work to be very serious.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Hörhager
Boris, an exceptional talent
Speaking of children, whoever believed the Becker kids would follow in their dad's footsteps are wrong. None of them can play tennis that well. The oldest son, 23-year-old Noah, (pictured) is a DJ and artist, Elias (18) collects likes on Instagram, his daughter Anna (17) is a successful model and his youngest son, Amadeus, hopes to become a policeman some day.
Image: AP
Boris, or Mr. Clean
Vanity is an essential step to healthy self-confidence, Boris Becker once said. That's why he takes extra good care of his appearance. This includes not only a collection of expensive fine-tailored suits, but also some serious body hygiene: He claims to take three showers a day. After all, his body is his main resource, he explained.
Image: picture alliance/EPA/dpa/Hayoung Jeon
Boris, the namesake
There are presumably a few little boys born in the 1980s or 90s named Boris after the famous tennis star. One researcher even gave his name to a new species. In 1996, biologist Manfred Parth discovered a species of sea snail and officially named it a few years later "Bufonaria borisbeckeri."
Image: picture-alliance/Mandoga Media
Boris, the ice cream
"Boom-boom Boris" was one of Boris Becker's many nicknames, as the tennis wunderkind was renowned for his ferocious serves. A German ice cream company had the name trademarked after his Wimbledon win in 1985. In Germany, the "Bum Bum," which has the shape of a tennis racket and a chewing gum stick, is legendary to this day.
