As the year draws to close, Baseline remembers the shots that showed off players' skills, tenacity, and luck all through the season. From backhands to volleys to two-minute rallies, these are the best hot shots of 2018. Here's No. 6:

6

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Dominic Thiem is considered the world's second-best clay-court player. This year, in the quarterfinals of Madrid, the Austrian proved his status by defeating Rafael Nadal, 7-5, 6-3. From the first set, the match seemed to be going Thiem's way, especially after overcoming a barrage of powerful groundstrokes by sprinting to a drop shot and nailing a backhand down-the-line winner.