Thiem routs weary Zverev to reach last four

PARIS: Dominic Thiem reached his third successive French Open semi-final with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 demolition of a hobbled and exhausted Alexander Zverev yesterday.

Thiem, the Austrian seventh seed, will face either 2016 champion and 12-time major winner Novak Djokovic or Italy’s World No 72 Marco Cecchinato for a place in Sunday’s final.

German second seed Zverev simply ran out of gas, paying a heavy price for needing three successive five-set matches to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. His Roland Garros marathon also left him physically drained — he needed his left thigh strapped in the second set.

“He is one of the fittest guys on the tour so it was difficult for him today,” said Thiem, the only man to have defeated 10-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal on clay this year.

“I hope we have many more matches at the Grand Slams but when we are 100 per cent.

“It’s great to reach the semifinals for a third year but it’s time to take another step and I will do everything for that.”

The statistics made bleak reading for Zverev — he finished with 42 unforced errors and just 19 winners.

Meanwhile, Madison Keys reached her maiden French Open semi-final, rallying from a break down in the opening set to claim a solid 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

The American 13th seed, playing in her third consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, was 53 down in the first set when she stepped up a gear to advance without having lost a set.

Madison will take on either Russian Daria Kasatkina or 10th seed Sloane Stephens, nine months after her compatriot beat her in the US Open final.

“I really just had to focus because Yulia was playing so well, I knew I just had to make a few more balls,” said Madison, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament.

“Thank you everyone for coming and supporting me, I did need a lot of support today. I’m obviously very happy to win in straight sets again and I look forward to the next match.”