#RG17 day 13 wrap: Nadal sets up Wawrinka final

It was a tale of two contrasting men’s semifinals at Roland Garros, as Stan Wawrinka downed Andy Murray in an epic five-set encounter, before Rafael Nadal eased past Doinic Thiem.

Nadal one win away from La Decima

Rafael Nadal just keeps on getting better. Neither he nor Dominic Thiem had lost a set going into their Roland Garros semifinal but Nadal put an end to the Austrian’s run with a devastating 6-3 6-4 6-0 win in just over two hours.

Thiem started strongly, unleashing his exciting brand of attacking tennis. But Nadal, who has never lost a semifinal (or final) at Roland Garros, soaked up the pressure and broke decisively in the opener. The second set was a similar affair, with the Spaniard absorbing Thiem’s power before edging ahead with a decisive break.

The writing was on the wall.

Nadal broke early and then broke often in the decider, as he cruised into Sunday’s final in comfortable fashion.

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“To be in the final again here probably the most important event in my career. Means a lot to me, no?” Nadal said after the match. “Just very, very happy for everything, and I gonna try my best on Sunday.”

Thiem was calm following the defeat: “I was pretty far away from my best tennis today. That’s the first thing what disappoints me.

“And the consistency I will have to find, and I think I will also find it. It’s a matter of time.”

Wawrinka wins epic

Andy Murray may have described his form as ‘garbage’ coming into the French Open, but there’s no doubt that the world No.1 has rediscovered it as he heads towards the grass court season. The Brit pushed Stan Wawrinka all the way in an absorbing four hour 34 minute encounter, Wawrinka eventually winning 7-6(6) 3-6 7-5 6-7(3) 6-1.

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French Open men’s semifinals

Murray seized the early advantage, only for Wawrinka to find his form in the second set, at one point reeling off six straight games to take set two and lead 3-0 in the third. But Murray fought back, the Brit breaking twice to seal the third. With the match on a knife edge, Wawrinka edged a crucial fourth set tiebreak, and this time stole the momentum. From then on, it was one way traffic as the Swiss star sealed victory – and revenge for his defeat at the same stage to Murray in 2016.

“There are two ways of seeing things and I chose to be positive, knowing that I was dominating,” said Wawrinka, who hit 87 winners during the match.

Murray, meanwhile, was upbeat following the defeat. “I’m proud of the tournament I had. I did well considering.

“When I came here I was really struggling. I turned my form around really well and ended up having a good tournament.”