French Open: Nadal, Wawrinka to meet in men’s singles final

TIL Desk Sports/ Strong title contender Rafael Nadal and Swiss star Stan Wawrinka won their respective semi-finals in contrasting fashion to enter the men’s singles final at the French Open tennis tournament here. Nadal rode on his unstoppable run in his quest for his 10th success at Roland Garros as he beat promising Austrian star Dominic Thiem in straight sets in the semi-finals.

Wawrinka had to work hard for the other final spot, edging out top seed Andy Murray in a five-set thriller. Nadal managed to keep his record of not losing a set en route to the final intact after sweeping Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in two hours and seven minutes.

The “King of Clay” showed his dominance throughout the match and sealed the win after Thiem dumped a forehand return into the net. The Spanish star bettered his Austrian opponent in winning percentage on first and second serves, also on receiving points. He made his 10th final appearance at Roland Garros, with the nine previous all turning out into the trophy.