Charles Platiau/Reuters
PARIS — Two victories from stitching together another perfect string of Grand Slam tournaments, Novak Djokovic was tied into knots and sent out of the French Open with a semifinal loss to Dominic Thiem on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Thiem, known more for his bludgeoning power than his delicate touch, wove together an all-court game to beat the top-seeded Djokovic, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5, in 4 hours 13 minutes.
His reward is a rematch of last year’s final against the 11-time champion Rafael Nadal on Sunday, less than 24 hours after his match with Djokovic ended.