Dominic Thiem won the Gen Next battle with Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(4) on Friday to reach his first Australian Open final and set up the ultimate test against Melbourne Park maestro Novak Djokovic.In an enthralling semi-final featuring a rain interruption and a lighting failure, the fifth-seeded Austrian shrugged off a sluggish start and was braver on the big points at the Rod Laver Arena. He thrashed two blazing forehand winners to raise three match points in the decisive tie-break. Thiem sealed the contest with a cross-court volley and booked his third Grand Slam final spot after losing the last two French Open deciders to Spaniard Rafael Nadal. With the men’s Grand Slams dominated for years by Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer, Thiem will bid to become the first man born in the 1990s to win a major title.
