Dominic Thiem stunned Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open 2020 quarter final. In an enthralling match between the star players, Thiem came out on top with a 7-6(7-3) 7-6(7-4) 4-6 7-6(8-6) victory over the Spaniard. This victory is the first time Thiem has beaten Nadal on a hard court.

The Austrian defeated Nadal for the first time in a Grand Slam event, having lost on six previous occasions. The World No. 5 hit an astonishing 65 winners and won an impressive 78% of his first serve points. Nadal, on the other hand, managed 49 winners and won 69% of his first serve points. 

Thiem Puts in a Dazzling Display

The first set tie-break saw Nadal start strongly with a 2 point lead with a mini-break. However, Thiem held his own to get the mini-break back and went on to win the tie-breaker 7-3. 

Nadal took the initiative in the second set and went a break up to lead 4-2, only for Thiem to break back and force a tie-break once again. Thiem started the second set tie-break well and took a 3-0 lead. He took the second set with a 7-4 win in the tie-break. 

The World No. 1 did manage to win a set back in the third, breaking his opponent at 5-4. The fourth set was a bit of a roller-coaster. Having broken Nadal to go 3-1 up, Thiem could not serve out the match as Nadal forced a third tie-breaker. A lot of drama ensued in the last few points as Nadal stopped play to challenge a call on match point. A good challenge on match point allowed Rafa to go level at 6-6, but Thiem proceeded to win the set and the match.

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Fans on Twitter were left stunned by this upset. Tweets started pouring in as soon as the match ended.

Fans were also quick to appreciate the fight Nadal put up, albeit in vain.

A Delighted Dominic Thiem was All Smiles

Dominic Thiem will now face German Alexander Zverev in the semifinal on Friday.