French Open 2017 Schedule: Wednesday Replay TV Coverage and Live-Stream Guide
After showing signs of emerging from a slump that has kept him from winning any of the last three Grand Slam tournaments, second-seeded Novak Djokovic got bounced from the French Open in the quarterfinals by sixth-seeded Dominic Thiem in straight sets Wednesday.
The 7-6, 6-3, 6-0 match was notable for several reasons. Djokovic had a couple of set points in the opener that he could not close out, and once he dropped the tiebreaker by a 7-5 margin, he had little left in the tank to engage Thiem.
The final set blanking was accomplished by Thiem in just 20 minutes.
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Djokovic and Thiem had met in five matches prior to Wednesday's encounter, and the Serb had won all of them while losing just one out of 12 previous sets. When the two men met in Rome last month, Djokovic registered a 6-1, 6-0 triumph.
The 30-year-old's trademark athleticism and his ability to hit winners were both missing against Thiem. Djokovic stumbled during the match and looked uncomfortable on the court. He also made 35 unforced errors while hitting just 18 winners.
Thiem blasted 38 winners and had 28 unforced errors, and he also won nearly 50 percent of the points (51 of 104) on Djokovic's serve.
"It's a fact that I'm not playing close to my best. And I know that," the reigning champion said, per tennis writer Ben Rothenberg's Twitter account. "Hard to comment on third set. Nothing was going my way, and everything his way ... but it was decided in first set."
The Austrian was all business during the match, and he had a hard time comprehending his accomplishment after it was over. "It's amazing for me," he said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "To beat him for the first time in the quarters of the French Open is a dream."
Thiem will meet fourth seed Rafael Nadal in the semifinal round. The Spaniard advanced when opponent Pablo Carreno Busta had to retire in the second set with an abdominal muscle issue. Nadal led 6-2, 2-0 at the time his opponent decided he could no longer continue.
Television: NBC, Tennis Channel
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Top-seeded Andy Murray will return to action Wednesday against eighth-seeded Kei Nishikori on the Philippe-Chatrier Court at Roland Garros.
Murray was extended to four sets in the first two rounds of the tournament, but he appeared much sharper in his third- and fourth-round matches with straight-set victories over Juan Martin del Potro and Karen Khachanov, respectively.
The Scot beat Nishikori in a five-set match at the U.S. Open last September, and he believes he is rounding into shape as the French Open reaches its critical stage.
"I'm happy with where my game's at," Murray said, per Piers Newbery of the BBC. "Everything is going pretty well just now. I'm feeling good going into the middle part of the second week."
Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka is scheduled to meet seventh-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia on the Suzanne-Lenglen Court.
The Swiss won the 2015 French Open, and he has been on top of his game to this point in the tournament. He has won all four of his matches in straight sets, including a 7-5, 7-6, 6-2 triumph over Gael Monfils of France in the fourth round.
On the women's side, second-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic is facing 28th-seeded Caroline Garcia of France, and third-seeded Simona Halep is facing fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine.
Tournament statistics are courtesy of RolandGarros.com unless otherwise noted. Men's career statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com and women's career statistics are courtesy WTATennis.com.
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