Thiem vs. Lopez
Just a week after capturing the Umag crown, 21-year-old young gun Dominic Thiem showed us exactly why he is one of the future stars of tennis. Saturday, Thiem reached his 3rd ATP World Tour final of 2015 with a gutsy victory over Spanish lefty Feliciano Lopez. Thiem improved his head-to-head record with Lopez to 3-0, all of which were three-setters. Thiem is looking to improve his winning streak to eight matches come sunday.
Thiem Comes Out Firing
Lopez looked a bit lethargic as Thiem did not waste anytime in the 1st set. The aggressive serving Lopez ended up getting broken twice in the opener. Thiem confidently closed out the first set 6-3.
Back And Forth 2nd set goes to Lopez
The Austrian looked seemingly in control as the 2nd set began. It looked as if Thiem would cruise to a straight sets victory but Lopez had other things in mind. Up 3-1, Thiem had a break opportunity at 30-40 to go up a double break but was unable to convert. This quick shift in momentum gave Lopez a glimmer of hope. By the time the set went to a tiebreak the Spaniard's game was in full swing as he charged to a 5-2 lead in the breaker. Thiem was able to bounce right back and even it up five a piece. In the final points Lopez stayed calm and wrapped up the set 7-5 in the breaker.
Thiem on top
In the decider, Thiem showed why he is one of the best in the business. At 3-all, Thiem became inspired winning three straight games to close out the match in slight under two hours. The newlywed Lopez was denied his 2nd final appearance of 2015.
Goffin vs. Bellucci
Top-seeded David Goffin turned in a clinical performance. He did not face a break point during the entire match. With the 6-4, 6-2 victory Goffin tied up his head-to-head record with Bellucci at one apiece. The stat that stuck out was Goffin's extremely high 73 percent of 2nd service points won for the match.
The 14th-ranked Goffin is looking to crack the top 10 within the 2015 season and a win against the crafty Bellucci does no harm.
Bellucci With No Answers
Goffin took advantage of Bellucci's subpar performance by breaking him in the ninth game of the 1st set. It was Goffin's first break point chance. Goffin soon finished out the set in the ensuing game.
The second set was no different, if not easier. Goffin took control right away with a break for a 2-1 lead. His steady baseline play left Belluci with no answers. The 24-year-old Goffin finished the match in roughly over 1 hour with a 6-2 2nd set finish.