Dominic Thiem scripted a fine comeback performance to defeat former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka for a place in the second round of Paris Masters.
Thiem saved a match point in the third set at 3-5 before rallying past Wawrinka 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the second round.
The thrilling match between two of the best one-handed backhands in recent memory ended after two hours and 31 minutes of thrilling play. "It's very nice to share a great and close match like that with Stan because we have a history together of many great matches.
Obviously, he's one of my big idols backhand wise," Thiem was quoted as saying by ATP. While Thiem hit highlight-reel strokes throughout the match, particularly with jaw-dropping passing shots, Wawrinka was the first to come close to winning.