Yannick Hanfmann advanced to his first ATP Tour final in three years on Saturday, beating Laslo Djere 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

The 28-year-old held two match points at 5-4 in the third set, before eventually converting his third match point in a final-set tie-break with a backhand return winner. Hanfmann won 63 per cent of second-serve return points (30/48) to advance after two hours and 25 minutes.

”I didn’t feel so good [after the first match points]. At that level, if you miss those chances you can lose the match right away,” said Hanfmann. “I was happy that I had chances to go back up 6-5 and break him. I didn’t make that, so it was a tough few minutes for me to really get settled again.

”In the tie-break, I had a pretty clear mind. I was just trying to play point-by-point… really go for my game and that is what I did. It is fitting that I finished it with a backhand return winner.”

Hanfmann entered the tournament seeking his first ATP Tour victory since the 2018 BMW Open by FWU in Munich, but the World No. 118 has now won six straight matches from qualifying to reach his second tour-level championship match. At the 2017 Swiss Open Gstaad, Hanfmann reached his maiden ATP Tour final from qualifying before falling in straight sets to Fabio Fognini.

Aiming to become the first qualifier to lift an ATP Tour crown since Daniil Medvedev’s 2018 triumph at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Hanfmann will face Miomir Kecmanovic for the first time in the final. Kecmanovic advanced to his second ATP Tour final with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win against Swiss qualifier Marc-Andrea Huesler.

The #NextGenATP Serbian won 86 per cent of first-serve points (37/43) throughout the two-hour, 19-minute contest. Kecmanovic will attempt to clinch his first ATP Tour crown after a runner-up finish in Antalya last year.

“I know it is not going to be easy because [Yannick] is a big guy [who] serves well, but hopefully I can make him play,” said Kecmanovic. “Like today, [I need to] stay in the point as long as I can and just try to force him to go for too much.”

For the past three seasons, Dominic Thiem inched closer to his dream of winning a Grand Slam title.

After a brutal straight-sets defeat to Rafael Nadal in the 2018 Roland Garros final, he took a set off the Spaniard when they reprised that final the following year in Paris. Thiem then came within one set of a major championship at this year’s Australian Open before suffering a heartbreaking five-set loss to Novak Djokovic.

The Austrian gave himself another chance on Friday by defeating Daniil Medvedev in their US Open semi-final. Only fifth seed Alexander Zverev stands between him and a maiden Grand Slam crown.

what a match! Finals US OPEN #usopen

— Dominic Thiem (@ThiemDomi) September 12, 2020

“It’s the biggest goal and the biggest dream I’ve had in my tennis career for a few years, since the moment I realised that maybe I can make it one day and especially since I played [my] first final at 2018 Roland Garros,” Thiem said. “It was really tough to digest that loss in Australia as I was super close. I’m happy that in a pretty short time, I gave myself another chance with this win today [and] with the final on Sunday.”

“Of course, it’s pressure for me. At the same time, I try not to think too much about it. If it’s not going to happen on Sunday, I have to continue working and maybe get the chance at another Slam. [But] the chance is now… I’ll try everything to make it.”

Can’t. Wait. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/u4JDljsRXX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 12, 2020

Thiem’s latest chance was far from a guarantee. He suffered a shocking opening-round defeat last month at the Western & Southern Open and didn’t produce his best tennis in the first week of the US Open, but gradually rounded into form this fortnight.

But it was Thiem’s mental fortitude that got him over the line against Medvedev. The Russian served for the second and third sets and also held a set point in both of them. Thiem held his nerve and forced Medvedev to beat him, which he didn’t. He powered through a left ankle injury to continue chasing down shots and capitalised on the few opportunities provided to improve to 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.

“That was a great match on a very high level. [It] was probably the toughest straight-sets win I’ve ever had,” Thiem said. “I could have easily been one [or] two sets down. He served for the second and third sets. Luckily, I played my best tennis towards the end of both of these sets.”

Unlike Thiem’s three previous Grand Slam finals, he’ll step on court this Sunday as the on-paper favourite. He holds a 7-2 lead against Zverev in their ATP Head2Head series and won their past three matches, including a four-set triumph this year in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Although Thiem acknowledges the magnitude of having a guaranteed new Grand Slam champion, he said facing that reality has helped him detach from it. He plans to prepare for the final in the same way he approached his first round, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of victory.

“From the moment Novak was out of the tournament, it was clear that there’s going to be a new Grand Slam champion. From that moment on, that was also out of my mind,” Thiem said. “I was just focussing on the remaining guys left in the draw. Now it’s Sascha remaining. I will fully focus on him and go into that match like in the all other matches so far in this tournament.”

Having played several ATP Head2Head matches against each of the Big Three, Daniil Medvedev is an authority in comparing their level to that of his peers. After falling to Dominic Thiem on Friday in the US Open semi-finals, he believes the Austrian has turned a corner in matching their day in, day-out consistency.

“He played like a real champion. That’s actually the stress of the Big Three. No matter which day you play them, it seems like they play the same level,” Medvedev said. “Talking about myself or Dominic, we can have these bad days where… Maybe you can say, ‘I’m going to play to the backhand of Dominic and get some chances.’ Well, not during this US Open or Australian Open. He’s playing really some great tennis. Backhand, forehand, slice, everything is there.”

Medvedev only won 15 fewer points than his opponent (112 to 127), but fell short in the most crucial points of the match. He had only been broken three times in his first five rounds and held the most dominant serving stats among the semi-finalists, but was unable to serve out the second and third sets against Thiem. He also failed to convert the set point he held in each of those sets.

Disappointed. Twice up a break in sets. All credit to @ThiemDomi. Thanks to the @usopen for the last 3 weeks. See you next year. Hopefully with a roaring crowd that loves me:):)?

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) September 12, 2020

Rather than rue those missed opportunities or his 44 unforced errors on the night, Medvedev felt the end result was due to Thiem’s play. He credited his opponent with maintaining a high level and applying constant pressure in their baseline exchanges.

“What I would do different in this semifinal? Probably not much,” Medvedev said. “We can talk about some shots, losing concentration in the first set. But Dominic played really good.

“Tennis is all about small points. Sometimes you win these points, sometimes you lose them. Today, I lost the most important points. That’s how he got the win. But I think it was really high-level tennis and Dominic was playing really good.”

I’ll be back….. https://t.co/4SLuPuqNQB

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) September 12, 2020

Despite the loss, Medvedev will depart New York with confidence as he turns his focus to the clay-court swing. He entered this tournament having only won six of his past 10 matches and struggled for confidence, but finished by regaining the form from the second half of last year that saw him clinch his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles (Cincinnati & Shanghai), in addition to reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

”Definitely more happy than disappointed,” Medvedev said. “[If] two months ago, someone would tell me I’d make [the] semi-finals of the US Open, I would be super happy because I was not feeling great about my game [and] my physical shape. I had huge troubles in practice. I was like, ‘Okay, how am I going to play?’

”Finally, I showed a great level. Even talking about tonight, [I’m] super happy about my level. Disappointed with the loss, but great experience. Great result. Looking forward to the next tournaments.”

Second seed Dominic Thiem is one set away from his first US Open final. The Austrian saved a set point in the second-set tie-break and leads third seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-6(7) in their semi-final clash on Friday. Thiem is the first player to take a set off Medvedev this fortnight.

Medvedev arrived to the match having only been broken three times in 68 service games. Thiem failed to convert his first two break points, but a controversial moment on his third opportunity at 3-2 gave him the first break of the night.

The third seed hit a first serve that was called good and Thiem cracked a backhand return that the Russian didn’t attempt to move for. Medvedev attempted to challenge the call thinking his serve landed long — as a Hawkeye review shown on the broadcast proved correct — but was denied by the chair umpire, who insisted that Thiem hit the return before the challenge was made. As a frustrated Medvedev pleaded his case, Thiem told the umpire to let him challenge. The call ultimately stood and Medvedev later apologised to the Austrian for the disruption in play.

But the moment threw Medvedev off mentally and Thiem capitalised. He took eight of the next nine points to grab the early advantage.

Medvedev quickly regrouped and broke Thiem to start the second set after the Austrian played an uncharacteristically patchy game. The 24-year-old also began to impose himself more on serve. Medvedev won 65 per cent of first-serve points in the opening set, but that number exceeded 90 per cent late in the second set.

But first deliveries inside the service box were few and far between when Medvedev served for the set at 5-4. Thiem capitalised and opened the game with a pair of baseline winners, then broke as the Russian dumped a forehand into the net. An epic six-deuce game followed at 5-5 as Thiem fought through visible nerves by charging the net behind aggressive forehand approaches. He bravely fought off five break points before holding with a forehand winner.

Thiem erased a set point with a big serve at 5/6 in the tie-break, only to see Medvedev match that effort serving at 6/7. But at an ill-advised drop shot from the third seed at 7/7 landed in the middle of the court and Thiem crunched a forehand winner for another set point. He made good on the second opportunity with another aggressive forehand and took a commanding advantage.

The grueling rallies took their toll on the Austrian, though. He received a medical timeout at the end of the second set for treatment on his left ankle.

Thiem holds a 2-1 lead against Medvedev in their ATP Head2Head rivalry, but Medvedev won their most recent match at 2019 Montreal. Medvedev only lost four games and won 16 of the first 17 points in the second set of their quarter-final clash.

The winner of this match will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final. The fifth seed rallied from two sets down to defeat No. 20 seed Pablo Carreno Busta. Thiem holds a 7-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head rivalry with Zverev and has won their past three matches. Medvedev trails Zverev 1-5 in their ATPHead2Head series, but picked up his lone win on hard courts in the 2019 Shanghai final

Pablo Carreno Busta is one set from reaching his first Grand Slam final, leading favoured fifth seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2 on Friday in the semi-finals of the US Open.

The Spaniard has shown few nerves in the biggest match of his career, playing steady tennis and taking any opportunity to aggressively target the German’s forehand. Even after taking the lead, he has accelerated harder, going after second-serve returns and keeping the pressure on Zverev, who has found little rhythm through two sets. The German has made 36 unforced errors compared to only 12 for Carreno Busta.

Carreno Busta faced a break point in his second service game, but raised his level after that. He broke twice in the opening set, hitting two crisp backhand passing shots in the early going to boost his confidence.

Zverev’s two-handed backhand is his most trustworthy shot, but even that was misfiring in the second set. Zverev made 12 unforced errors within the first four games to dig himself a hole. The German avoided a total washout heading into the third set, breaking at 0-5 and holding to get some momentum going, but Carreno Busta erased a 0/30 deficit in the next game to earn a two-set lead.

Zverev trailed early in his quarter-final against Borna Coric on Tuesday, losing the first set 1-6. But in the middle of the second set, he began to play more aggressively and found his range from the baseline. That has not been the case against Carreno Busta.

Both players are pursuing their first appearance in a major final. World No. 27 Carreno Busta can become the second-lowest-ranked tournament finalist since the FedEx ATP Rankings were established in 1973. The man who beat Carreno Busta in the 2017 US Open semi-finals, then-World No. 32 Kevin Anderson, holds that distinction.

Zverev, who is trying to become the first German US Open finalist since Michael Stich in 1994, made his first Grand Slam semi-final earlier this year at the Australian Open.

Nobody remaining in the draw has won a Grand Slam title, guaranteeing a first-time major champion for the first time since the 2014 US Open (Marin Cilic).