Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Grand Slam tennis is back.
In a wild comeback that seemed improbable and predictable, lost and then found, Dominic Thiem battled from two sets down to win the United States Open on Sunday night over Alexander Zverev, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Thiem edged Zverev in a fifth-set tiebreaker that capped a four-hour marathon that included golden opportunities for Zverev to win and left both men battling cramps in the final moments.
Thiem, a 27-year-old Austrian, won his first Grand Slam tournament in his fourth major final. A critical factor was that this time neither Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal nor Novak Djokovic stood on the other side of the net.