Thiem makes Djokovic the former king at Roland Garros

The Austrian tennis player won 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-0 in the quarterfinals on the afternoon of June 7, as a way to pay back the debt of losing to Novak Djokovic at the Rome Masters last month.

Thiem defeated Djokovic for the first time in six encounters. Photo: Reuters.

The result means last year's singles champions Novak Djokovic and Garbine Muguruza are both out. It was Djokovic's first loss to Dominic Thiem in six meetings, extending the world number two's title drought.

This year, Djokovic has won only one ATP 250 title in Doha, a performance that contrasts with his performance in the early stages of last season when he won two Grand Slam titles and three of the five Masters 1000 tournaments.

Thiem is in his second Roland Garros semi-final. Last year, the 23-year-old was eliminated by Djokovic in three sets in the semi-finals. Thiem's ​​next opponent is Rafael Nadal. The nine-time Paris champion easily advanced when Pablo Carreno withdrew due to injury.

Djokovic saved three breaks in the third game of the first set but could not stop his opponent from breaking his serve. But the Serb returned the break in the next game. Djokovic won the next service game from Thiem to lead 4-2. However, on a day when dark clouds covered the Roland Garros courts and the wind blew strongly, the match continued to take unexpected turns.

Thiem was in good spirits after defeating Djokovic in the first set tie-break. Photo: Reuters.

Djokovic's two double faults gave Thiem a break point in game eight, and the Austrian did not miss. The set had to be decided by a tie-break. It is worth noting that in their five previous encounters, Thiem had only won one set against Djokovic, but that was a 12-10 tie-break victory at the ATP Finals in November 2016. This time, the Austrian's youth continued to give him the edge over his opponent.

The tie-break was a dramatic affair, but two backhand errors from Djokovic gave Thiem a 6-4 lead. Thiem missed the first set point, but Djokovic's second backhand missed the net to give his opponent the win. In total, Djokovic made 17 unforced errors in the first set, a disappointing tally for a player known for waiting for his opponent to make a mistake.

But what was more disappointing for Djokovic and his fans was the easy defeat of the Serbian in the next two sets. Thiem won the first three games of the second set and was in a very good mood while Djokovic stood on the court with his soul flying out. After Thiem led 3-0 in the second set, legend John McEnroe commented that the Austrian had a sure win over the player with the mental advantage he had.

Djokovic continues to show psychological instability, which has haunted him for more than half a year. Photo: Reuters.

Thiem then led 4-1, 5-2 and closed out the second set 6-3. In the deciding set, Djokovic didn’t even win a game. Thiem broke three times as Djokovic repeatedly missed the net. When the match ended, instead of applause or murmurs in the stands, there was silence. The spectators probably couldn’t believe what had just happened before their eyes. Djokovic, a warrior who never gave up, had just “thrown” a set in the semifinals of a Grand Slam.

Defeating a 12-time Grand Slam champion, an opponent he had never beaten before, Thiem confidently entered the second Grand Slam semi-final of his career, facing Roland Garros legend Rafael Nadal. With what the Austrian has shown on clay, Nadal is unlikely to have an easy match.

According to VNE