Thiem ends Cecchinato’s run to reach French Open final

PARIS: Austrian Dominic Thiem´s rise to the top continued when he ended unheralded Italian Marco Cecchinato´s run to reach the final of the French Open with a 7-5 7-6(10) 6-1 win on Friday.

The seventh seed, the first Austrian man to reach a Grand Slam final since Thomas Muster triumphed at Roland Garros in 1995, will take on either Argentine fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro or 10-times champion Rafael Nadal.

Cecchinato, the world number 72, played fearlessly and used his whole arsenal of claycourt weapons, but he came up short against the only player to beat Nadal on his favourite surface this season.

The 24-year-old Thiem, the youngest man since Nadal to reach the final in Paris, ended the contest on his first match point with a forehand winner.