French Open: Thiem Defeats Djokovic, Meets Nadal in Final

French Open: Thiem Defeats Djokovic, Meets Nadal in Final

Dominic Thiem yesterday defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5 to set up a rematch of last year’s clash with Rafael Nadal in the French Open final.

Thiem showed his ability to stay in long rallies against the world number one, and despite some poor errors, he showed enough class and took advantage of some luck, to reach the final in Paris.

“If you reach the final here it’s always against Rafa,” the 25-year-old said on court. “It was an amazing experience last year and I will try everything to be better this year.”

Resuming in the third set after leaving the court on Friday due to the weather conditions, Djokovic looked to be in a far better place than he was on Friday as he quickly broke to get back on serve.

However, Thiem dug in, winning a couple of superb rallies before holding serve to reach 6-5, putting the pressure back on Djokovic.

The 25-year-old, who lost to Nadal in last year’s final, handled the elements better as he kept alive his dream of winning a first major title when he takes on the 11-times champion again today.

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