Mercedes Cup 2016: Saturday Tennis Scores, Results, Latest Schedule
Dominic Thiem is into the finals of the 2016 Mercedes Cup following a 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 victory over Roger Federer on Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany.
The 22-year-old produced a huge upset to down the experienced 17-time Grand Slam winner, saving two match points on his way to his first-ever grass-court final.
The Austrian will play Philipp Kohlschreiber after the German beat surprise semi-finalist Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, after a three-hour rain delay disrupted the second set.
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Read on for a full recap of Saturday's scores and match action.
| (3) Dominic Thiem bt. (1) Roger Federer | 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 |
| (7) Philipp Kohlschreiber bt. Juan Martin del Potro | 6-3, 6-4 |
For the updated schedule, visit the Pro Tennis Live app.
Saturday Recap
The Austrian was forced to come from behind to secure his final berth after dropping the opening set of the contest in south-west Germany.
A flowing first-set encounter saw both players enjoy their best form of the day, hitting several winners with minimal enforced errors on either side of the net.
Federer struck first, breaking his junior opponent's service game at 1-2 before cruising to a comfortable 6-3 first set.
However, the momentum swung considerably in the second period of the match, as Thiem built a formidable 5-0 lead. The Swiss player was unable to maintain his impressive first-set performance, while Thiem continued to look comfortable against his more experienced rival.
His form would soon take a downward trajectory, though, with Federer acknowledging he had little chance of a comeback in the set. Thiem's advantage was soon cut to 5-4 following a nervous service game, which included a double-fault and two unforced errors.
The ATP world No. 7 eventually won the tiebreak despite Federer having two opportunities to seal victory. The 34-year-old first missed with a high volley at 6-5 before Thiem dismissed his second chance at 7-6 with a passing shot, sealing the set with an overhead winner before rain interrupted play.
Following the short break, the youngster broke Federer with a passing shot to take a 4-3 advantage. Another splurge of rain again halted the encounter, but the Austrian would not be prevented. He returned to play out the contest with two more service games to win the final set 6-4 and earn his place in the championship match.
Per the Associated Press (h/t ABC News), Thiem was delighted to reach the Mercedes Cup final but admitted he felt anxious on court. Following the memorable victory, he said: "I was incredibly nervous. I was fortunate in the tiebreaker but you need good luck to beat the best player on grass."
In the second semi-final tie, 2009 U.S. Open winner Del Potro took on Kohlschreiber in a surprise matchup. The Argentinian, contesting in his first grass-surface tournament since Wimbledon in 2013, had beaten fourth seed Gilles Simon in three sets to secure his berth in the final four.
Per the ATP World Tour website, the No. 223-ranked wild card was looking to reach his first ATP World Tour final since he won in Auckland, New Zealand, in January 2014. However, Del Potro was unable to replicate the form from his previous rounds in the early stages of the contest.
Kohlschreiber won 88 per cent of the points after getting his first serves, held consistently during the opening set and frustrated his opponent throughout. Del Potro dropped serve early on in the match before his German rival secured the first set of the match after breaking him at 5-3.
The pair shared the first four games of the second set before a three-hour rain delay disrupted play.
Tennis Pig had little belief in Del Potro securing victory given his opponent's consistency with his first serves:
The covers were eventually removed, and on their return to the court, the duo continued to share service games before the German broke Del Potro at 5-4 to earn his place in the tournament showdown on Sunday.
Kohlschreiber has an impressive record on home soil, having now secured six of his eight ATP final appearances in Germany. However, his latest achievement marks just his second on grass, according to the ATP World Tour website.
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