Tennis-Thiem swats aside holder Zverev to reach final

Dominic Thiem was at his dominant best as he dismantled defending champion Alexander Zverev 7-5 6-3 on Saturday to storm into the final of the season-ending ATP Finals. Austrian Thiem will face Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday for the top prize at London's O2 Arena.

There was little to separate the players until the 12th game of a tight opening set when a tense Zverev double-faulted on set point to hand his rival the early advantage in the match before flinging his racket across the court in frustration. Thiem, who was suffering from a cold, broke the big-serving Zverev to take a 4-2 lead in the second set after the German-made a number of unforced errors under intense pressure.

With the match firmly in his grip, Thiem consolidated his advantage before closing out a victory on his first match point with a solid passing shot down the line. Earlier, the 21-year-old Tsitsipas powered past six-times champion Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 in the first semi-final to reach the title clash on his debut in the tournament.