Dominic Thiem entered his semi-final at the Rio Open presented by Claro 30-5 on clay since the beginning of last season. Those losses came against Rafael Nadal (3), Novak Djokovic and David Goffin. It didn’t hurt that he was the defending champion in Rio de Janeiro, either, as well as last week’s winner in Buenos Aires. But the Austrian was shocked by eighth seed Fernando Verdasco, who delivered a blistering performance to oust the second seed 6-4, 6-0 on Friday evening. The Spaniard moves into his first ATP World Tour semi-final since 2017 Stockholm as he pursues his first final since losing to Andy Murray last year in Dubai. "I knew that if I wanted to beat a player like...
Watch highlights as Fernando Verdasco plays outstanding tennis to eliminate second seed Dominic Thiem at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Fabio Fognini, Nicolas Jarry and Diego Schwartzman round out the semi-finals. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Photo Credit: Rio Open.
Fernando Verdasco speaks after shocking defending champion Dominic Thiem at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Friday evening. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
Fernando Verdasco turns offense into defense by tracking down Dominic Thiem's best shots before unleashing a forehand during his 6-4, 6-0 win at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Friday. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
Before Dominic Thiem and Fernando Verdasco kicked off their quarter-final at the Rio Open presented by Claro, the pair applauded as two fans got engaged in the crowd.