Tsitsipas, Thiem set up title match at ATP Finals

LONDON — The ATP Finals will have a firsttime champion for the fourth year in a row after Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem won their semifinals on Saturday.

Thiem beat defending champion Alexander Zverev after Tsitsipas ousted sixtime winner Roger Federer, with both players reaching their first final at the seasonending tournament.

Tsitsipas had to keep his nerve at the key moments to beat Federer 63, 64, saving 11 of 12 break points along the way. He also took advantage of an errorfilled performance from Federer, who continually put his opponent under pressure only to come up short when it mattered.

“I’m proud of myself, how hard I fought today, how concentrated I stayed in the breakpoints,“said Tsitsipas, who reached the biggest final of his career. “Didn’t crack under pressure. I was very composed and very mature in my decisions.”

In the evening match, Zverev doubledfaulted on set point to hand Thiem a 10 lead and was then broken for the second time to make it 42 in the second set.

Thiem saved two break points in the next game, Zverev held, and Thiem served out the match, clinching the victory with a forehand winner on his first match point.

Federer and Novak Djokovic combined to win the ATP Finals nine times in 10 years between 200615 before Andy Murray broke that streak and Gregor Dimitrov won it in 2017.

Zverev was trying to repeat last year’s title win but couldn’t convert any of the four break points he forced against Thiem. As he sat down for the changeover after his doublefault to end the first set, he slammed his racket down so hard it bounced along the court and came to rest behind the baseline.