Number four seed Dominic Thiem battled past Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic in a marathon rain-affected French Open semi-final at Roland Garros to book his place in Sunday’s final.
Austria’s Thiem responded the better of the two when the pair returned to the court on Saturday to resume their semi-final clash and, after a second rain delay forced another suspension of play, he returned to the court and finished the job at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Thiem appeared to be well on his way to the final on Friday when the match was interrupted by rain and strong winds, as officials ruled the conditions unfit for play.
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The decision came in for criticism from former players Amelie Mauresmo and Jim Courier, while tournament director Guy Forget was at pains to deny rumors that Djokovic had departed the venue during the rain suspension, forcing the cessation of play.
When play resumed on Saturday, Djokovic found his form first and broke back to put the match in the balance once more.
But, after Thiem broke his serve in the 12th game of the set, Djokovic lost his cool as the Austrian moved into pole position, just one set away from the final.
Djokovic bounced back in the fourth set, but had a disastrous start to the decider, going 4-1 down and narrowly avoiding falling 5-1 behind before the heavens opened, forcing a one-hour stoppage in play.
When play resumed again, Thiem moved into a match-winning position at 5-3, but fluffed his lines, missing two match points.
But he recomposed himself and later sealed his place in the final with a brilliant forehand winner.
Thiem will now face Nadal in Sunday’s final, with the Spanish star looking to claim his 12th French Open title on the famous clay courts of Roland Garros.